Exclusive | HHS to launch $96M grant program addressing homelessness, substance abuse

WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services is launching a new $96 million grant program to help cities and localities treat substance abuse issues, mental illness and homelessness, The Post has learned.Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.Kennedy Jr.

will be making a formal announcement about the Safety Through Recovery, Engagement and Evidence-based Treatment and Support (STREETS) program in Michigan later Wednesday.Applicants will be compete for eight eligible slots to receive up to $3 million each year over a four-year period in funding that would help pay for treatment and recovery programming, housing support, street outreach as well as associated spending at the level of local government, law enforcement and the courts.Homelessness has been on the rise in the US, with individuals experiencing first-time homelessness increasing by 23% since 2019, according to Department of Housing and Urban Development statistics.New York, for example, saw its homeless population explode by 78% over that same time period to about 140,000 people, the office of the city’s comptroller reported in March.Meanwhile, illicit drug use jumped from 22.2% to 25.5% from 2021 to 2024, according to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health.Drug overdose deaths have been on the decline since 2023, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.HHS is also announcing Tuesday that more than $612 million in behavioral health funding can be applied for separately from the STREETS program.That will allow communities to set up Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, staff suicide and crisis support lifelines, more funding for substance abuse prevention as well as mental health services.The tranches include $238.6 million for suicide and crisis lifelines, $223.1 million for CCBHCs, $80 million for treating substance issues and recovery, and more than $70 million for mental health support.The STREETS program follows President Trump’s executive...