Transitional Housing for Recovery in Viable Environments Demonstration Program Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Hensarling for his leadership and for moving this important legislation forward.
Mr. Chair, the United States has an opioid epidemic, one that is claiming more than 115 lives every single day. The faces and the stories of the opioid crisis and those family members, friends, students, and loved ones who have been affected by it demand some solutions from us.
Over 4 years ago, in March 2014, I launched our community action plan on opioids in the 14th Congressional District of Illinois. Since then, I have worked with community leaders in my district to update our action plan with local, State, and Federal policy recommendations.
One of our key objectives is increasing access to sober living facilities for individuals who have undergone inpatient treatment and need support as they navigate their recovery. An immediate step we can take is to allow individuals in recovery to have access to Federal housing programs, especially transitional housing.
Transitional housing is an important, evidence-based piece of recovery that empowers these men and women to maintain sobriety, acquire job training and employment, and find a community.
I have met individuals whose lives have been changed by transitional housing. Chris Reed from McHenry, Illinois, has been sober since 2009. He was a founding member of New Directions Addiction Recovery Services, which opened a sober living house for men in Crystal Lake, Illinois, in October of 2016. The organization opened a home for women in December 2017 and a third home in McHenry County this year.
According to Chris, he said: ``Sober living and recovery housing provides structure, support, and accountability that greatly increases the chances a person with a substance use disorder (SUD) will achieve long-term sobriety. By providing housing stability along with appropriate resources--such as job placement, peer recovery support, social activities, and services to others--people with SUD begin to disconnect from drugs and alcohol and reconnect with a supportive community.''
I am proud to support the THRIVE Act, which will expand access to these life-changing transitional recovery homes through existing Federal housing programs. This is something Congress can do right now to prevent opioid overdoses.
Let's make a statement about the importance of support in recovery and offer resources to individuals for whom a transitional home could be lifesaving.
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