The Secretary shall award grants, contracts and cooperative agreements to community-based public and private nonprofit entities for the purposes of providing mental health and substance use disorder services for homeless individuals. In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall consult with the Interagency Council on the Homeless [1], established under section 11311 of this title.

In awarding grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give a preference to—

(1) entities that provide integrated primary health, substance use disorder, and mental health services to homeless individuals;

(2) entities that demonstrate effectiveness in serving runaway, homeless, and street youth;

(3) entities that have experience in providing substance use disorder and mental health services to homeless individuals;

(4) entities that demonstrate experience in providing housing for individuals in treatment for or in recovery from mental illness or a substance use disorder; and

(5) entities that demonstrate effectiveness in serving homeless veterans.

In awarding grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under subsection (a), the Secretary shall not—

(1) prohibit the provision of services under such subsection to homeless individuals who are suffering from a substance use disorder and are not suffering from a mental health disorder; and

make payments under subsection (a) to any entity that has a policy of—

(A) excluding individuals from mental health services due to the existence or suspicion of a substance use disorder; or

(B) has a policy of excluding individuals from substance use disorder services due to the existence or suspicion of mental illness.

No entity may receive a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection (a) for more than 5 years.

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $41,304,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title V, § 506, formerly § 512, as added Pub. L. 98–509, title II, § 206(a), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2361; amended Pub. L. 100–77, title VI, § 613(a), (b), July 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 524; renumbered § 506 and amended Pub. L. 102–321, title I, § 106, July 10, 1992, 106 Stat. 334; Pub. L. 106–310, div. B, title XXXII, § 3202, Oct. 17, 2000, 114 Stat. 1190; Pub. L. 106–400, § 2, Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1675; Pub. L. 114–255, div. B, title IX, § 9001, Dec. 13, 2016, 130 Stat. 1234.)