The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides funding for several programs that improve access to services for people experiencing homelessness who have mental health or substance abuse problems.
- Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) – The PATH program funds services for people who are experiencing homelessness and have a serious mental illness through formula grants to states and U.S. territories. Grantees award funds competitively to public or nonprofit service providers in their jurisdictions. PATH funds can be used to support a variety of services, including outreach, screening and diagnostic treatment, substance abuse treatment, case management, and referrals for primary healthcare, job training, educational services, and housing. States must provide matching funds of at least one dollar for every 3 dollars of federal PATH funding. In 2015, the federal funding allotment of more than $61.5 million was matched by state contributions of more than $37.4 million, with total funds reaching nearly $100 million. Visit the PATH program website
- Cooperative Agreements to Benefit Homeless Individuals (CABHI) – CABHI helps people who are experiencing homelessness or chronic homelessness and have behavioral health issues to receive support services. The program has expanded in scope since it was created in 2011 and now provides competitive grant funding to help nonprofit organizations, local jurisdictions, and state and tribal governments create or improve the infrastructure needed to give people access to services; and to deliver the services, with a focus on people in permanent supportive housing. Visit the CABHI program website
- Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals – Services in Supportive Housing (GBHI-SSH) – The GBHI-SSI program provides competitive grant funding to expand treatment and recovery support services for homeless veterans, and for individuals and families who experience chronic homelessness. Program funds can be used to build or expand the local treatment infrastructure for substance abuse, co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders, permanent supportive housing, and other critical services, enabling clients to receive more comprehensive care. Visit the GBHI-SSI program website
- SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) – The SOAR program aims to increase access to Social Security Income/Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness with behavioral health issues. SAMHSA’s SOAR Technical Assistance Center provides states and communities with training and other assistance to increase SSI/SSDI enrollment among eligible individuals, and case managers participating in the SOAR program receive access to a variety of resources. Visit the SOAR program website or download an evaluation of SOAR (Mathematica, 2014)
To learn more about SAMHSA’s homelessness programs and resources, visit https://www.samhsa.gov/homelessness-programs-resources