(a) The Commissioner of Social Services, in collaboration with the Commissioner of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, shall maintain a demonstration project to provide subsidized assisted living services, as defined in section 19-13-D105 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, for persons residing in affordable housing, as defined in section 8-39a. The demonstration project shall be conducted in at least three municipalities to be determined by the Commissioner of Social Services. The demonstration project shall be limited to a maximum of three hundred subsidized dwelling units. An applicant shall be eligible for such subsidized assisted living services if such applicant is (1) eligible for the Connecticut home care program for the elderly pursuant to section 17b-342, or (2) sixty-five years of age or older and eligible for the home and community-based program established pursuant to section 17b-602a for adults with severe and persistent psychiatric disabilities.

(b) There shall be a memorandum of understanding among the Commissioner of Housing, the Commissioner of Social Services and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. Such memorandum of understanding shall specify that (1) the Department of Social Services apply for a Medicaid waiver to secure federal financial participation to fund assisted living services, establish a process to select nonprofit and for-profit providers and determine the number of dwelling units in the demonstration project, (2) the Department of Housing provide rental subsidy certificates pursuant to section 8-402 or rental assistance pursuant to section 8-119kk, and (3) the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority provide second mortgage loans for housing projects for which the authority has provided financial assistance in the form of a loan secured by a first mortgage pursuant to section 8-403 for the demonstration project.

(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a combination of unsubsidized dwelling units and subsidized dwelling units under the demonstration project within the same facility. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 8-402, the Department of Housing may set the rental subsidy at any percentage of the annual aggregate family income and define aggregate family income and eligibility for subsidies in a manner consistent with such demonstration project.

(P.A. 98-239, S. 1, 35; P.A. 99-279, S. 22, 45; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2, S. 37, 69; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 129, 131; P.A. 13-234, S. 46.)

History: P.A. 98-239 effective June 8, 1998; P.A. 99-279 amended Subsec. (a) to allow the demonstration project to be conducted in more than three municipalities and to specify that the maximum number of dwelling units be subsidized, and added a new Subsec. (c) allowing a combination of subsidized and unsubsidized dwelling units under the demonstration project within the same facility and permitting the Department of Economic and Community Development to set the rental subsidy at any percentage of the annual aggregate family income and to define aggregate family income and eligibility for subsidies, effective July 1, 1999; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 amended Subsec. (a) to delete provision re deadline for acceptance of applications for the demonstration project, effective July 1, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 revised effective date of June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 but without affecting this section; P.A. 13-234 substituted references to Commissioner of Housing and Department of Housing for references to Commissioner of Economic and Community Development and Department of Economic and Community Development, respectively, amended Subsec. (a) by changing “shall establish a demonstration project” to “shall maintain a demonstration project”, replacing “Applicants” with “An applicant shall be eligible”, replacing “shall be subject to the same eligibility requirements as” with “if such applicant is (1) eligible for” and adding Subdiv. (2) re applicant 65 years of age or older eligible for program established pursuant to Sec. 17b-602a, and amended Subsec. (b) by deleting obsolete date and requiring memorandum of understanding among Commissioner of Housing, Commissioner of Social Services and Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, effective July 1, 2013.