Federal homeless funding now tied to sobriety tests and faith-based screening
H.R. 5618 — Housing PLUS Act of 2025 · Filed by Andy Barr (R-KY) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 30, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill amends federal homeless assistance funding rules to allow grants to organizations that require participants to meet preconditions (like sobriety or drug testing) or provide wraparound services (counseling, job training, addiction treatment), and mandates that at least 50% of annual Continuum of Care funds go to providers offering these services. It also explicitly permits faith-based organizations to receive funding under these conditions.
Why we flagged it
The bill reframes federal homeless assistance by conditioning funding on wraparound services and participant preconditions, shifting policy from low-barrier shelter toward recovery-focused models. This is a substantive policy reorientation, not a simple funding increase.
What the text implies
- The 50% set-aside for wraparound-service providers may reduce funding available to low-barrier emergency shelters, potentially creating a two-tier system where immediate shelter is harder to access for those not ready for treatment.
- Precondition requirements (sobriety, drug testing) may exclude active substance users from federally funded programs, pushing them toward street homelessness or non-compliant shelters, contradicting Housing First principles.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) operating affordable housing; Behavioral health and addiction treatment providers; Faith-based nonprofit organizations