1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Help End Abusive Living Situations Act” or the “HEALS Act”.
Help End Abusive Living Situations Act
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to improve services for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families.
2. Definitions
In this Act—
the terms dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking have the meanings given those terms in section 40002(a) of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291(a));
the term Secretary means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
the term victim service provider has the meaning given the term in section 401 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11360); and
the term victim service provider project means a project administered by a victim service provider designed to meet the needs of survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families.
3. Strengthening housing resources protections for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking
Notice of funding availability— Subtitle C of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11360 et seq.) is amended—
in section 422 (42 U.S.C. 11382)—
in subsection (a)—
by striking “The Secretary” and inserting the following:
“(1) In general—The Secretary”
by adding at the end the following:
“(2) Scoring—For purposes of scoring applicants in the notice of funding availability, the Secretary shall neither prioritize nor deprioritize the following categories of projects solely on the basis of the category:
“(A) Rapid re-housing.
“(B) Permanent supportive housing.
“(C) Transitional housing.
“(D) Short-term emergency shelter.”
in section 428(d)(2) (42 U.S.C. 11386b(d)(2))—
in subparagraph (B), by striking “and” at the end;
by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D); and
by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
“(C) transitional housing for various populations, including, for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families, projects providing transitional or permanent housing that provide trauma-informed services, maximize client choice, and address the special needs of those survivors; and”
Strategic plan— In the next strategic plan required after the date of enactment of this Act under section 306 of title 5, United States Code, the Secretary shall include as a goal or objective—
responding, including allocating appropriate resources, to the housing needs of survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families; and
collaborating with the Office of Violence Against Women of the Department of Justice to ensure that there is no conflict between the rapid re-housing requirements of that Office and of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Evaluation— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop—
in accordance with the selection criteria under section 427(b)(1) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11386a(b)(1)), as amended by section 4, measurable criteria upon which applicants for a grant under section subtitle C of title IV of that Act (42 U.S.C. 11381 et seq.) are evaluated to demonstrate their local policy priorities focused on survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families, including survivor-centered coordinated entry processes that appropriately assess and prioritize those survivors and take into account the safety and confidentiality needs of those survivors and their families; and
mechanisms that promote the provision of technical assistance and support for programs to improve outcomes and maintain grant funding.
Research agenda— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop a research agenda that—
works and collaborates with the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Violence Against Women of the Department of Justice; and
focuses on survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families, concentrating on the housing modalities that best support them and the mechanisms that best facilitate their efforts to secure housing, while also paying attention to the critical safety concerns and the link between trauma and residential stability.
4. Increasing access to safe shelter for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking
Section 427 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11386a)) is amended—
in subsection (b)(1)—
in subparagraph (B)(iv)(I), by inserting “, including survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families” after “subpopulations”;
in subparagraph (C)—
in clause (iii), by striking “and” at the end;
in clause (iv), by adding “and” at the end; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(v) meets the safety and trauma needs of survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families, including access to safe shelter;”
in subparagraph (F)(ii), by striking “and” at the end;
by redesignating subparagraph (G) as subparagraph (H); and
by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following:
“(G) the extent to which the assistance to be provided within the geographic area will meet the safety and trauma needs of survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families, including access to safe shelter; and”
by adding at the end the following:
“(d) Equal consideration of transitional housing projects—In awarding funds to recipients under this subtitle, the Secretary shall consider transitional housing projects on an even basis with any other project of a qualified applicant.”
5. Report to Congress
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on—
the trends in allocating resources beginning after the date of enactment of the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–22; 123 Stat. 1663) to address the housing needs of survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families; and
the increase in the effectiveness of those resources for promoting self-sufficiency and assisting survivors in finding employment beginning after the date of enactment of this Act.