H.R. 8520 — HELP Act of 2026

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to (1) increase the capacity and statewide accessibility of 211 services (i.e., information and referral hotlines for health and human services), (2) improve coordination among 211, 988 (suicide and crisis lifeline), and 911 service providers, and (3) raise public awareness and use of 211 services. The Secretary must select one administering agency to assist in implementation and, using funds available under section 6, provide formula grants to qualified 211 service entities in each state based on population, population density, poverty rate, and other data related to needs for and access to health and human services.

This section establishes eligibility criteria for selection of a nonprofit administering agency (i.e., 501(c) organization) with experience in 211 technical assistance, state-level community relationships, disaster response, and federal grants management. The administering agency must advise the Secretary on state allotments and award grants to qualified 211 service entities; submit evaluations of the national 211 network every five years (beginning in 2026) and annual reports (beginning in 2026) on grant activities, effectiveness, collaborations, and referral outcomes; increase coordination among 211, 911, and 988 providers; and develop a public awareness campaign for 211 services. The agency may use reserved funds for shared data platforms; must apply to the Secretary every 10 years with plans for universal no-cost 211 access, entity selection, coordination, data-driven oversight, and ADA compliance; and must contract with an independent entity for evaluations addressing access barriers, service effectiveness, 211/911/988 collaborations, database comprehensiveness, public awareness, and user satisfaction.

This section establishes a grant program under which the administering agency awards grants from each state's allocation (as determined under section 3(b)(1)) to qualified 211 service entities (i.e., eligible state 211 networks or individual providers) to expand the availability and accessibility of 211 services (i.e., non-emergency information and referral connections to community health and human services). Grant funds may be used for (1) providing 211 services via voice, text, internet, or other methods, including contact center operations, public awareness campaigns in collaboration with 911 and 988 services, statewide coordination and planning, and accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act; (2) start-up costs to extend services to unserved areas; (3) administrative costs such as staffing and training; (4) infrastructure including databases and cloud capacity; (5) service evaluations; (6) coordination among 211 providers, with 911/988, and data platforms; (7) reporting; (8) service innovations; and (9) other agency-determined activities. Grants are awarded preferentially to the eligible state 211 network per state, or directly to eligible providers if no network exists, considering provider capacity, equitable rural access, and advancement of statewide service goals; recipients must apply, adhere to information and referral standards (e.g., Inform USA), collaborate on comprehensive service databases, ensure state coordination, and provide a 25% non-federal match. For states lacking a network, the agency may use a portion of the state's allocation under section 2(c) for its additional administrative costs.

This section defines terms used in the Act, including “211 service” (i.e., providing information and referrals to health and human services via voice telephone, text, internet phone, or other methods); “eligible 211 service provider” (i.e., a nonprofit or governmental entity able to provide such services free via phone with access to the applicable state or local 211 dialing code); “qualified 211 service entity” (i.e., an eligible state 211 network, or in certain states an eligible 211 service provider); “eligible state 211 network” (i.e., a nonprofit entity representing all eligible 211 service providers in a state and providing coordination or infrastructure such as fiscal agency or information databases); “health and human services” (i.e., services addressing needs such as homelessness, food assistance, mental health, and others to promote self-sufficiency and well-being); “Indian Tribe” and “Tribal organization” (as defined in 25 U.S.C. 5304); and “State” (i.e., the states, District of Columbia, territories, Indian Tribes, or Tribal organizations).

This section authorizes appropriations of $250 million for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2032 to carry out the Act, with funds remaining available until expended. Of those amounts, the Secretary may reserve not more than 10% for administrative and coordinating activities by the administering agency (including expenditures referred to in section 4(d)).