(a) The Commissioner of Social Services shall provide a special needs benefit for emergency housing to any recipient of payments under the temporary family assistance program and the optional state supplementation program who cannot remain in permanent housing because (1) a judgment has been entered against the recipient in a summary process action instituted pursuant to chapter 832, provided the action was not based on criminal activity, or a judgment has been entered against the recipient in a foreclosure action pursuant to chapter 846; (2) the recipient has left to escape domestic violence; (3) a catastrophic event, such as a fire or flood, has made the permanent housing uninhabitable or the recipient has been ordered to vacate the housing by a local code enforcement official; (4) the recipient shares an apartment with a primary tenant who is being evicted or is engaged in criminal activity; (5) the recipient was illegally locked out by a landlord and has filed a police complaint concerning such lockout; (6) the recipient has been living with a tenant who received a preliminary notice under section 47a-15 or a notice to quit because of termination of a rental agreement for lapse of time; or (7) the family has relocated because a child in the family has been found to have a level of lead in the blood equal to or greater than twenty micrograms per deciliter of blood or any other abnormal body burden of lead and the local director of health has determined, after an epidemiological investigation pursuant to section 19a-111, that the source of the lead poisoning was the residential unit in which the family resided. A person shall be eligible for the benefit under this section provided application is made to the commissioner within forty-five days of the loss of permanent housing by the recipient. On and after September 4, 1991, the benefit shall be limited to not more than one occurrence per calendar year and not more than sixty days per occurrence, except that any family receiving the benefit under this section pursuant to subdivision (7) with a child undergoing chelation treatment may receive the benefit for more than one occurrence provided the total number of days the benefit is received by the family for all occurrences is not more than eighty days in any calendar year. Any person receiving a benefit under this section shall agree to reside in any housing which was constructed, renovated or rehabilitated with state or federal financial assistance. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, any family receiving the benefit under this section pursuant to subdivision (7) shall not be required to reside in any housing in which the paint contains a toxic level of lead as defined by the Commissioner of Public Health in regulations adopted pursuant to section 19a-111. Under the temporary family assistance program, any person not eligible for the benefit under this section shall be referred to the Department of Social Services' program for emergency shelter services.

(b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall provide for the direct vendor payment of the rent of any recipient of payments under the temporary family assistance program and the optional state supplementation program for whom he has made a finding of mismanagement and who resides in housing where the total rent, or the recipient's share of the total rent, does not exceed thirty per cent of the payment standard, adjusted for region and family size under such program. Any finding of mismanagement by the commissioner shall be in accordance with federal law and regulations concerning mismanagement of funds, except that the commissioner may permit a recipient for whom vendor rent payments would terminate to request an extension of vendor rent payments. Such voluntary vendor rent payments shall be discontinued upon request of the recipient. If there is a rental arrearage at the time vendor rent payments are initiated, the commissioner may deduct from the payment under the temporary family assistance program and the optional state supplementation program an amount not to exceed thirty dollars per month. Such amount shall be used to pay the back rent due, provided recoupment by the department of an overpayment shall be suspended during payment of arrearages to the landlord.

(c) Within ten days of receiving a notice to quit issued pursuant to chapter 832, a recipient of benefits under the temporary family assistance program and the optional state supplementation program shall notify the commissioner of the receipt of such notice. No person shall be denied emergency housing assistance or declared ineligible for any other benefit because of a failure to notify the commissioner.

(P.A. 90-257, S. 6, 17; P.A. 91-237, S. 1, 2; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-8, S. 4, 63; P.A. 92-234; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-16, S. 4, 89; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 36, 87; 93-333; 93-381, S. 9, 39; 93-418, S. 29, 41; 93-435, S. 59, 95; P.A. 95-210, S. 1, 2; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 87, 165; P.A. 08-22, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 91-237 amended Subsec. (a) to extend eligibility for the special needs benefit to a recipient who has had a judgment entered against him in a foreclosure action; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-8 Subsec. (a) amended the special needs benefit for emergency housing by limiting the benefit to one occurrence per calendar year, not to exceed 80 days per occurrence and deleted provision re reduction in benefits of AFDC recipients by 25% in certain cases; P.A. 92-234 added Subsec. (a)(7) re eligibility for the special needs benefit of families relocated because a child in the family has been found to have lead poisoning; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-16 amended Subsec. (a) by reducing the special needs benefit for emergency housing from not more than 80 days per occurrence to not more than 60 days per occurrence; P.A. 93-262 replaced references to commissioner of income maintenance and department of human resources with references to commissioner and department of social services, respectively, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-333 amended Subsec. (a) to prohibit placement of families with children with lead poisoning in housing in which the paint contains a toxic level of lead; P.A. 93-381 and 93-435 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of public health and addiction services for commissioner and department of health services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-418 made provision of direct vendor payments of rent mandatory rather than discretionary and changed the words “standard of need” to “payment standard”, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17-86e transferred to Sec. 17b-808 in 1995; P.A. 95-210 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that a family may receive emergency housing for more than one occurrence if a child in the family is undergoing lead chelation treatment, effective June 27, 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 replaced references to aid to families with dependent children with temporary family assistance and made technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 08-22 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by deleting provision requiring expiration of redemption period for recipient in foreclosure action to be eligible for special needs benefit.