CHAPTER 138b
HOUSING PROGRAMS FOR HOMELESS PERSONS

      Sec. 8-355. Definitions. As used in sections 8-355 to 8-359, inclusive:

      (1) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development.

      (2) "Community housing development corporation" means a corporation which has qualified for assistance under section 8-217.

      (3) "Homeless person" means any person who does not have overnight shelter or sufficient income or resources to secure such shelter.

      (4) "Nonprofit corporation" shall be construed as defined in section 8-39.

      (5) "Utility allowance" means the average monthly amount a person or family spends for heat and other utilities, excluding telephone, which is not supplied or paid for by the owner of the dwelling unit rented by the person or family.

      (P.A. 85-485, S. 1; P.A. 87-309, S. 1; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6.)

      History: P.A. 87-309 made a technical change in the reference contained in Subdiv. (4); P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development.

      Sec. 8-356. State financial assistance to community housing development corporation, municipal developer or nonprofit corporation for emergency shelters or rooming houses for homeless persons or mobile manufactured homes for use as transitional housing. The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, may enter into a contract with a community housing development corporation, a municipal developer or a nonprofit corporation providing emergency shelter services for homeless persons for state financial assistance in the form of a state grant-in-aid, loan, deferred loan, loan guarantee or interest subsidy for the cost of acquisition, construction, rehabilitation or renovation of emergency shelters or rooming houses for homeless persons or for the cost of acquisition of mobile manufactured homes for use as transitional housing. In the case of a deferred loan, the contract shall require that payments on interest are due immediately but that payments on principal may be made at a later time.

      (P.A. 85-485, S. 2; P.A. 87-309, S. 2; 87-436, S. 20, 23; P.A. 92-166, S. 23, 31; P.A. 93-309, S. 27, 29; 93-435, S. 80, 95; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 06-93, S. 19.)

      History: P.A. 87-309 made technical changes and provided for assistance for emergency shelters and mobile manufactured homes to be used as transitional housing; P.A. 87-436 added provisions authorizing state to enter into contracts with municipal developers; P.A. 92-166 amended the section to make deferred loans a form of financial assistance available under the section and further provided that payments on interest are due immediately but that payments on principal may be made at a later time; P.A. 93-309 designated the existing section as Subsec. (a) and added new Subsec. (b) prohibiting the commissioner of housing, on and after July 1, 1994, or the effective date of regulations adopted under Sec. 8-437, from accepting applications for housing developments that qualify for financial assistance under Sec. 8-433, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-435 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting reference to "July 1, 1994," re the deadline for the receipt by the commissioner of housing of certain applications for state financial assistance, and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 06-93 deleted former Subsec. (b) re regulations and application to program repealed by the same act and made a conforming change.

      Sec. 8-357. State financial assistance to community housing development corporation, municipal developer or nonprofit corporation for transitional housing and support services. (a) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, may enter into a contract with a community housing development corporation, a municipal developer or a nonprofit corporation for state financial assistance in the form of a state grant-in-aid, loan, deferred loan, loan guarantee or interest subsidy for the cost of acquisition, construction, rehabilitation or renovation of multifamily dwellings for persons and families whose adjusted monthly income does not exceed fifty per cent of the median household income, as determined by the commissioner, for the area in which they reside and who have received emergency shelter services or shelter services for battered women and are in need of transitional housing and support services for a period of six to twenty-four months. Such housing and services shall be designed to enable such persons to maintain their current jobs, improve their employment skills, retrain for different occupations or continue their education. Such services may include, without limitation, information and referral; counseling and support groups; aid in finding vocational training, education or employment; health, nutrition, fitness and recreation programs; child care; transportation; legal aid; and financial counseling. In the case of a deferred loan, the contract shall require that payments on interest are due immediately but that payments on principal may be made at a later time.

      (b) The commissioner may consider, without limitation, the following criteria in determining which project shall be eligible for assistance under this section: (1) Whether the project has been approved by local planning and zoning commissions, (2) the amount of resources which have been committed to the project by the private sector and the municipality in which the project would be located, (3) the extent to which resources of existing social services agencies are planned to be utilized, (4) the extent to which both privacy and community living are planned for residents of the project, (5) whether the project is capable of operating without ongoing state subsidies, and (6) the proximity of the project to schools, potential employers, stores and transportation, medical, child care and recreational facilities.

      (P.A. 85-485, S. 3; P.A. 87-309, S. 3; 87-436, S. 21, 23; P.A. 92-166, S. 24, 31; P.A. 93-309, S. 28, 29; 93-435, S. 81, 95; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 06-93, S. 20.)

      History: P.A. 87-309 made technical changes to Subsec. (a); P.A. 87-436 added provision in Subsec. (a) authorizing state to enter into contracts with municipal developers; P.A. 92-166 amended Subsec. (a) to make deferred loans a form of financial assistance available under the section and to provide that payments on interest are due immediately but that payments on principal may be made at a later time; P.A. 93-309 added new Subsec. (c) prohibiting the commissioner of housing, on and after July 1, 1994, or the effective date of regulations adopted under Sec. 8-437, from accepting applications for housing developments that qualify for financial assistance under Sec. 8-433, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-435 amended Subsec. (c) by deleting reference to "July 1, 1994," re the deadline for the receipt by the commissioner of housing of certain applications for state financial assistance, and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 06-93 made a technical change in Subsec. (b) and deleted former Subsec. (c) re regulations and application to program repealed by the same act.

      Sec. 8-358. Rental payments. Regulations. (a) The maximum amount which a person or family residing in a dwelling unit in a project receiving financial assistance under sections 8-355 to 8-359, inclusive, shall pay as its contribution to the total rent for the dwelling unit shall be thirty per cent of the adjusted monthly income, as defined by the commissioner pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, of the household in which the person resides or of the family, less the amount of such household's or family's utility allowance.

      (b) The commissioner shall adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 (1) defining adjusted monthly income, (2) establishing criteria for determining the utility allowance of a person or family, (3) establishing criteria for determining which projects shall be eligible for financial assistance under sections 8-356 and 8-357 and (4) establishing procedures for the operation of the programs under said sections.

      (P.A. 85-485, S. 4; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, S. 97; P.A. 04-76, S. 58.)

      History: P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; (Revisor's note: In 1997 references to sections "17b-115 to 17b-138, inclusive" and "17b-689 to 17b-693, inclusive," were changed editorially by the Revisors to sections "17b-116 to 17b-138, inclusive" and "17b-689, 17b-689b" respectively, to reflect the repeal of the relevant sections by the June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2); June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, in repealing Secs. 17b-19, 17b-62 to 17b-65, inclusive, 17b-116, 17b-116a, 17b-116b, 17b-117, 17b-120, 17b-121, 17b-123, 17b-134, 17b-135, 17b-220, 17b-259 and 17b-287, authorized deletion of internal references to said sections in this section, effective March 1, 2004; P.A. 04-76 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provisions re rental payments made to recipients of general assistance and the amount of any such payments.

      Sec. 8-359. Bond issue. (a) For the purposes described in subsection (b) of this section, the State Bond Commission shall have the power from time to time to authorize the issuance of bonds of the state in one or more series and in principal amounts not exceeding in the aggregate three million five hundred thousand dollars.

      (b) The proceeds of the sale of said bonds, to the extent of the amount stated in subsection (a) of this section, shall be used by the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development for the purposes of sections 8-355 to 8-359, inclusive.

      (c) All provisions of section 3-20, or the exercise of any right or power granted thereby which are not inconsistent with the provisions of sections 8-355 to 8-359, inclusive, are hereby adopted and shall apply to all bonds authorized by the State Bond Commission pursuant to said sections, and temporary notes in anticipation of the money to be derived from the sale of any such bonds so authorized may be issued in accordance with said section 3-20 and from time to time renewed. Such bonds shall mature at such time or times not exceeding twenty years from their respective dates as may be provided in or pursuant to the resolution or resolutions of the State Bond Commission authorizing such bonds. None of said bonds shall be authorized except upon a finding by the State Bond Commission that there has been filed with it a request for such authorization, which is signed by or on behalf of the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development and states such terms and conditions as said commission, in its discretion, may require. Said bonds issued pursuant to sections 8-355 to 8-359, inclusive, shall be general obligations of the state and the full faith and credit of the state of Connecticut are pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on said bonds as the same become due, and accordingly and as part of the contract of the state with the holders of said bonds, appropriation of all amounts necessary for punctual payment of such principal and interest is hereby made, and the Treasurer shall pay such principal and interest as the same become due.

      (d) Each contract for state financial assistance entered into pursuant to section 8-356 or 8-357 shall provide that if the community housing development corporation, municipal developer or nonprofit corporation conveys the property for which financial assistance is provided under sections 8-355 to 8-359, inclusive, or stops using such property for the benefit of low income persons, the corporation or municipal developer shall immediately repay the loan or grant to the state. The state shall have a lien on such property for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the provisions of this subsection, which lien may be subordinated to a subsequent loan relating to such property at the discretion of the commissioner. Such lien may be removed by the commissioner, subject to such terms and conditions as the commissioner may determine, not less than ten years after the date of such contract for financial assistance upon a determination by the commissioner that the need for housing for the homeless in the locality no longer exists or upon a determination by the commissioner that the removal of such lien is in the best interest of the state.

      (e) Subject to the approval of the Governor, any administrative or other cost or expense incurred by the state in connection with the carrying out of the provisions of sections 8-355 to 8-359, inclusive, including the hiring of necessary employees and the entering upon necessary contracts, shall be paid from the proceeds of the bonds issued pursuant to this section.

      (P.A. 85-485, S. 5; 85-613, S. 139, 154; P.A. 86-396, S. 14, 25; P.A. 87-309, S. 4; 87-405, S. 10, 26; 87-436, S. 22, 23; P.A. 88-294, S. 1, 2; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 07-217, S. 38.)

      History: P.A. 85-613 added Subsec. (e) re payment of expenses incurred by state in connection with carrying out provisions of Secs. 8-355 to 8-359, inclusive, from proceeds of bonds; P.A. 86-396 increased bond authorization from $500,000 to $1,500,000; P.A. 87-309 amended Subsec. (d) to authorize the subordination of the state's lien to a first mortgage; P.A. 87-405 increased the bond authorization to $3,500,000; P.A. 87-436 added references to municipal developers in Subsec. (d); P.A. 88-294 added provisions in Subsec. (d) re subordination and removal of state lien; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 07-217 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (b), effective July 12, 2007.

      Sec. 8-360. Nondisclosure of location of housing for domestic violence victims. Nothing in sections 1-200, 1-205, 1-206, 1-210 to 1-213, inclusive, 1-225 to 1-232, inclusive, 1-240 and 19a-342 shall be construed to require a public agency, as defined in section 1-200, to disclose any information indicating the location of a shelter or transitional housing for victims of domestic violence.

      (P.A. 89-38, S. 1, 2.)

      History: (Revisor's note: In 1997 references to "sections 1-15, 1-18a, 1-19 to 1-19b, inclusive, and 1-21 to 1-21k, inclusive," were changed editorially by the Revisors to the corresponding section numbers in Ch. 3 and Sec. 19a-342, reflecting the transfer of those sections).

      Secs. 8-361 and 8-362. Pilot program for acquisition and rehabilitation of abandoned property into single room occupancy housing for homeless persons. Abatement of real property taxes. Sections 8-361 and 8-362 are repealed, effective October 1, 2006.

      (P.A. 93-401, S. 1, 2; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; 96-256, S. 179, 209; P.A. 06-93, S. 22.)

      Secs. 8-363 and 8-364. Reserved for future use.