Governor Lamont Announces Community-Non-public Initiative to Tackle Homelessness and Continual Well being Issues

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Governor Ned Lamont

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09/08/2021

Governor Lamont Announces Community-Non-public Initiative to Deal with Homelessness and Chronic Wellness Challenges

Connecticut Amid To start with States to Join Medicaid and Housing Products and services

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont right now introduced that his administration has acquired federal approval to combine Medicaid wellness protection with a range of housing solutions for Connecticut inhabitants struggling with homelessness and chronic overall health troubles.

The ‘CHESS’ initiative – small for Connecticut Housing Engagement and Assist Companies – will pool the initiatives of point out businesses and nonprofit associates to bring coordinated healthcare and housing assist to individuals with mental health, compound use, and other severe wellness situations.

“For the initially time, the means of Connecticut’s nationally-recognized Medicaid method will strengthen our ongoing initiatives in the areas of housing and homelessness prevention,” reported Governor Lamont. “Also regarded as the HUSKY Wellbeing software, Medicaid will incorporate a very important dimension to our means to not only stabilize a person’s housing situation, but to definitely enhance the high quality of his or her health and fitness and lifestyle. The CHESS initiative also demonstrates my path to discover techniques to best coordinate expertise and services across our health and human services organizations.”

Connecticut Medicaid’s CHESS advantage is 1 of the to start with of its form to receive federal acceptance, joining Arkansas, California, Minnesota, and North Dakota. It will mix the Coordinated Accessibility Community and housing subsidy packages administered by the Connecticut Office of Housing supportive housing packages administered by the Connecticut Division of Mental Health and Addition Products and services and the Dollars Follows the Man or woman system administered by the Connecticut Department of Social Expert services (the condition company administering Medicaid).

CHESS is aimed at controlling the challenges that are generally portion of homelessness, which include accessibility to wellbeing treatment and handling serious wellbeing concerns, with the in general purpose of marketing health and fitness and nicely-remaining by coordinating qualified health care with housing.

“Simply put, we know that housing instability and severe wellness difficulties are typically related,” stated Department of Social Solutions Commissioner Deidre Gifford, who also serves as senior advisor to the governor for overall health and human companies. “The new Medicaid gain delivers a flexible offer of expert services to assistance men and women discover and sustain housing, and to coordinate professional medical and behavioral overall health solutions, persistent disease administration and wellness instruction. With CHESS, our general public-private partnership aims to cut down homelessness and unnecessary hospitalizations, though producing lasting enhancements in the lives of some of our most susceptible people. The COVID-19 pandemic has also taught us more about the near romantic relationship amongst protected, steady housing and wellbeing.”

Housing subsidies for CHESS enrollees, administered by the Section of Housing, will be prioritized for candidates who fulfill the Medicaid method demands and are matter to independent eligibility needs.

“We are very pleased to participate in this collaborative work,” mentioned Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno. “Our goal is to cut down and conclusion homelessness in Connecticut. The CHESS system contributes additional methods to our homeless services process, permitting it to present the vital supportive providers to vulnerable inhabitants and to preserve secure housing in our communities.”

“Nonprofit supportive housing companies throughout Connecticut have a huge volume of understanding and a long time of practical experience serving persons with complex demands and extensive histories of housing instability,” mentioned Office of Mental Wellness and Addiction Providers Acting Commissioner Nancy Navarretta. “I’m self-assured that the evidence-centered supportive housing model that will be available to CHESS contributors will lead to our collaborative endeavours to make homelessness uncommon, short, and a person time.”

“The modern federal acceptance of Connecticut’s impressive CHESS Medicaid reward will lay the groundwork for deeper engagement with our healthcare system companions in attempts to end homelessness in our point out,” mentioned Sonya Jelks, Connecticut Director for the Company for Supportive Housing. “This trailblazing strategy, a person of the to start with in the nation, will offer a new and sustainable supply of funding for the critical support expert services that are essential to productively supporting folks who experience persistent homelessness. The Corporation for Supportive Housing is very pleased to have been a associate in acquiring and planning the CHESS technique and appears ahead to continuing to collaborate to build on Connecticut’s success with supportive housing – linking services, like housing provisions and health care, to lasting housing methods.”

With federal acceptance to use Medicaid funding for CHESS, the Division of Social Services has opened programs at www.CTCHESSDSS.com. Application info is also offered by calling 1-888-992-8637 or 2-1-1.

As a new reward to be evaluated by the UConn Centre on Ageing, CHESS is presently estimated to serve 150 individuals by means of next fiscal calendar year. The joint state/federal initiative was developed by a collaborative of the Office of Social Companies, the Office of Housing, the Office of Psychological Health and Habit Providers, the Division of Developmental Companies, the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the Partnership for Robust Communities, and the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.

CHESS supplies supportive housing gains underneath Medicaid, coordinated with Medicaid services and non-Medicaid housing subsidies. Medicaid-protected housing engagement and aid companies consist of serious illness administration and wellness schooling, in addition to pre-tenancy supports (help with locating and securing housing) tenancy sustaining supports (assistance with maintaining productive tenancy) and non-crisis healthcare transportation. The CHESS team will assist participants utilize for housing subsidy vouchers.

“We are particularly happy of the robust and enthusiastic partnership that is bringing the CHESS initiative forward,” Commissioner Gifford explained. “It’s crafted on major-edge get the job done in both equally state government and the non-public, nonprofit local community as we focus on the so-named social determinants of health. In this situation, the focus is on the important area of housing and how absence of stability there relates to chronic condition and, alternatively, very well-getting.”

The Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership, via Beacon Health and fitness Alternatives, will provide eligibility assessment and service authorization. Federal aid is furnished by the Heart for Medicaid and CHIP Solutions, element of the Department of Well being and Human Services’ Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Providers.

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