Cooperative Agreements to Benefit Homeless Individuals (CABHI)

SAMHSA’s Cooperative Agreements to Benefit Homeless Individuals (CABHI) programs help people with mental and substance use issues find housing and supportive services.

CABHI programs are competitive grant programs, jointly funded by the SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) and Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). CABHI programs support state and local community efforts to provide behavioral health treatment and recovery-oriented services. These services are provided within a permanent supportive housing approach for people with:

  • Serious mental illness
  • Serious emotional disturbance
  • Substance use disorders
  • Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders

CABHI’s primary goal is to ensure that the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness and chronic homelessness receive access to housing, treatment, and recovery support services. These people often include veterans, families, and youth.

Initiated in 2011, the CABHI program awarded grants for up to 3 years to community-based public or nonprofit entities to serve people experiencing chronic homelessness. Key program requirements include establishing community consortiums and steering committees to help guide program integration and implementation.

In 2013, SAMHSA initiated a CABHI-States program and awarded grants for up to 3 years to states to enhance and develop the service infrastructure of states and their treatment systems. A key CABHI-States program requirement is to establish a state interagency council on homelessness to enhance or develop a statewide plan. The statewide plan should sustain partnerships across public health and housing systems. The plan should result in short- and long-term strategies for supporting people experiencing homelessness who have behavioral health issues.

In 2016, the CABHI program was expanded to include communities and tribal and nonprofit organizations, as well as states. Funding was provided to enhance or develop the infrastructure needed to provide accessible, effective, comprehensive, coordinated/integrated, and evidence-based treatment services including, permanent supportive housing, peer supports, and other critical services for veterans, youth, and families experiencing homelessness or chronic homelessness and who also have serious mental illnesses or serious emotional disturbances, substance use disorders or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders.

SAMHSA funds will support three types of activities:

  1. States: enhancement or development of a statewide plan to sustain partnerships across public health and housing systems that will result in short- and long-term strategies to support those experiencing homelessness who have behavioral health issues.
    Local governments and communities: participation in state or community planning and activities related to short- and long-term strategies to support those experiencing homelessness who have behavioral health issues.
  2. States, local governments, and communities: delivery of mental health and substance use treatment, housing support, and other recovery-oriented services.
  3. States, local governments, and communities: engagement and enrollment of eligible individuals in health insurance and in Medicaid and other benefit programs (e.g., Supplemental Security Income Program [SSI]/Social Security Disability Insurance Program [SSDI], Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF], and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP]).

Supported Activities for CABHI Programs

CABHI services may include:

  • Outreach and engagement for the population of focus
  • Mental and substance use disorders screening and assessment
  • Direct treatment for substance use disorders, serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, or co-occurring disorders
  • Peer support services and peer support specialists
  • Case management and recovery support services
  • Enrollment for health insurance, Medicaid, SSI/SSDI, and other mainstream benefits
  • Assist with identifying sustainable permanent housing

Other SAMHSA Homelessness Programs and Services

Find information about current grant announcements.

Last Updated: 04/22/2022