November 2003

How States Can Use SAMHSA Block Grants to Support Services for People Who Are Homeless

This report highlights efforts of many States to use Federal Block Grant funds for mental health and substance abuse services, administered by the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), to provide more effective care for people who are homeless. The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant is the Federal governments primary source of funding to States for drug and alcohol treatment and for primary prevention programs. The Mental Health (MH) Block Grant provides funds to States to create comprehensive, community-based systems of mental health care. It is not a requirement of either grant program that the funds to be used to support services to people who are homeless. However, many States and localities have devised strategies to deploy block grant funds to promote provision of both homeless services and innovative planning mechanisms that ensure efficient use of resources. Some of the more effective State strategies identified to date are presented as short case studies in this report.