2011 Connecticut Code
Title 17a Social and Human Services and Resources
Chapter 319i Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities
Sec. 17a-485c. Supportive Housing Initiative. First phase Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative. Second phase Next Steps Initiative.

      Sec. 17a-485c. Supportive Housing Initiative. First phase Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative. Second phase Next Steps Initiative. (a) The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, in collaboration with the Commissioners of Social Services, Children and Families and Economic and Community Development and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, shall establish a Supportive Housing Initiative to provide additional units of affordable housing and support services to eligible persons. The Supportive Housing Initiative shall be implemented in two phases with the first phase to be known as the Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative and the second phase to be known as the Next Steps Initiative.

      (b) The Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative shall provide up to six hundred fifty additional units of affordable housing and support services to eligible households, as defined in section 17a-484a, and to persons with serious mental health needs who are community-supervised offenders supervised by the executive or judicial branch. Such housing shall be permanent supportive housing or transitional living programs, and the permanent supportive housing may include both individuals and families with special needs and individuals and families without such needs.

      (c) The Next Steps Initiative shall provide up to one thousand additional units of affordable housing and support services to: (1) Eligible households, as defined in section 17a-484a; (2) families who are eligible under the state plan for the federal temporary assistance for needy families program; (3) adults who are eighteen to twenty-three years of age, inclusive, and who are homeless, or at risk for becoming homeless because they are transitioning from foster care or other residential programs; and (4) persons with serious mental health needs who are community-supervised offenders supervised by the executive or judicial branch. Such housing shall be permanent supportive housing and may include both individuals and families with special needs and individuals and families without such needs.

      (d) The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall issue one or more requests for proposals by persons or entities interested in participating in such initiative with priority given to applicants that include organizations deemed qualified to provide services by the Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Social Services and Children and Families. The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall review and underwrite projects developed under the Supportive Housing Initiative. For purposes of this subsection, "state assistance" means a payment by the state of actual debt service, comprised of principal, interest, interest rate swap payments, liquidity fees, letter of credit fees, trustee fees, and other similar bond-related expenses.

      (June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-8, S. 5, 13; P.A. 05-280, S. 32; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3, S. 101; P.A. 08-123, S. 1.)

      History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-8 effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 05-280 redesignated existing Subsec. (a) as new Subsecs. (a) and (b), amended Subsec. (a) by adding Commissioner of Children and Families to the collaboration, changing the name of the initiative from the Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative to the Supportive Housing Initiative and providing that the Supportive Housing Initiative would be implemented in two phases, the first phase being the Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative and the second phase being the Next Steps Initiative, amended Subsec. (b) to provide that Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative shall provide up to six hundred fifty units of affordable housing and support services, redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as new Subsec. (c) and deleted reference therein to Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative providing up to six hundred fifty dwelling units, added new Subsec. (d) re Next Steps Initiative providing up to an additional five hundred units of affordable housing and support services and specifying persons who would be eligible for such housing, added new Subsec. (e) re memorandum of understanding concerning the Next Steps Initiative, the content of such memorandum and requests for proposals for entities interested in participating in said initiative, redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (f) and amended same to change due date for interim status report from January 1, 2004, to January 1, 2006, add Commissioners of Children and Families and Social Services to those included in the interim status report, change Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative to Supportive Housing Initiative and change due date for final report from January 1, 2006, to January 1, 2007, effective July 1, 2005; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3 amended Subsec. (e) re content of memorandum of understanding by adding provision re payments to find reasonable repair and replacement reserves, permitting parties to include provisions necessary to assure effectuation of the Supportive Housing Initiative, adding provision permitting the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority to give priority in request for proposal process to applicants that are deemed qualified to provide services by Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Social Services and Children and Families and defining "state assistance", effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 08-123 deleted former Subsec. (c) and provisions in existing Subsec. (e) re memorandum of understanding and former Subsec. (f) re reports, redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) and (e) as new Subsecs. (c) and (d) and, in new Subsec. (c), increased number of additional units of affordable housing and support services from 500 to 1,000, effective June 2, 2008.

      See Sec. 17a-485e re state authority to enter into contracts with Connecticut Housing Finance Authority to effectuate the Supportive Housing Initiative.