Bill Text: CT SB00852 | 2011 | General Assembly | Chaptered


Bill Title: An Act Concerning Permanent Supportive Housing Initiatives.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-1)

Status: (Passed) 2011-07-01 - Signed by the Governor [SB00852 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2011-SB00852-Chaptered.html

Substitute Senate Bill No. 852

Public Act No. 11-64

AN ACT CONCERNING PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING INITIATIVES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 17a-485c of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(a) The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, in collaboration with the Commissioners of Social Services, Correction, Children and Families and Economic and Community Development, [and] the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority [,] and the Court Support Services Division of the Judicial Branch, shall establish [a Supportive Housing Initiative] permanent supportive housing initiatives 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. ] Individuals and families with special needs and individuals and families at risk for homelessness shall be eligible for such permanent supportive housing initiatives.

[(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)] (b) [The Next Steps Initiative shall provide up to one thousand additional units of affordable housing and support services] Permanent supportive housing initiatives and support services shall be provided 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)] (c) 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] permanent supportive housing initiatives 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 development 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] undertaken pursuant to such permanent supportive housing initiatives.

(d) The Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Social Services shall issue, within available appropriations, one or more requests for proposals in a scattered site model for homeless individuals with psychiatric disabilities and substance use disorders.

Sec. 2. Subsection (h) of section 8-395 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(h) In no event shall the total amount of all tax credits allowed to all business firms pursuant to the provisions of this section exceed ten million dollars in any one fiscal year, provided, each year until the date sixty days after the date the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority publishes the list of housing programs that will receive tax credit reservations, two million dollars of the total amount of all tax credits under this section shall be set aside for [the Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative, the Next Steps Initiative established pursuant to section 17a-485c or any other supportive housing initiative] permanent supportive housing initiatives established pursuant to section 17a-485c, as amended by this act, and one million dollars of the total amount of all tax credits under this section shall be set aside for workforce housing, as defined by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority through written procedures adopted pursuant to subsection (k) of this section. Each year, on or after the date sixty days after the date the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority publishes the list of housing programs that will receive tax credit reservations, any unused portion of such tax credits shall become available for any housing program eligible for tax credits pursuant to this section.

Sec. 3. Subsection (b) of section 17a-485e of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(b) The State Bond Commission may authorize the State Treasurer and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management to enter into a contract or contracts to provide state assistance on bonds issued by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority as provided in this section. If so authorized by the State Bond Commission, the state, acting by and through the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and the State Treasurer, shall enter into a contract or contracts with the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority that provide the state shall pay to said authority state assistance on bonds issued by said authority for purposes of providing funds for mortgage loans made by said authority pursuant to the provisions of section 17a-485c, as amended by this act, funds for reasonable repair and replacement reserves and costs of issuance in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed one hundred five million dollars. Any provision of such a contract entered into providing for payments equal to annual debt service shall constitute a full faith and credit obligation of the state and as part of the contract of the state with the holders of any bonds or refunding bonds, as applicable, appropriation of all amounts necessary to meet punctually the terms of such contract is hereby made and the State Treasurer shall pay such amounts as the same become due. The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority may pledge such state assistance as security for the payment of such bonds or refunding bonds issued by said authority. Any bonds so issued for [the Supportive Housing Initiative] permanent supportive housing initiatives by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and at any time outstanding may, at any time or from time to time, be refunded, in whole or in part, by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority by the issuance of its refunding bonds in such amounts as the authority may deem necessary or appropriate, but not exceeding an amount sufficient to refund the principal amount of the bonds to be so refunded, any unpaid interest thereon, and any premiums, commissions and costs of issuance necessary to be paid in connection therewith. The state, acting by and through the Office of Policy and Management and the State Treasurer and without further authorization, may execute an amendment to any contract providing state assistance as required in connection with such refunding bonds.

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