We are analyzing the FY'11 state budget, adopted yesterday in the legislative session's waning minutes and likely to be signed by Gov. Rell, but an early review shows:

Supportive Housing Sees Increases

• The Department of Social Services budget contains a net increase of $2.96 million in Housing/Homeless Services, including $450,000 in funding for 50 new Rental Assistance Payment certificates for permanent supportive housing for people with mental illness.
• The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services includes $3 million in supportive housing. These new resources are a result of the Reaching Home Campaign's advocacy on behalf of housing solutions for frequent users of high cost systems - people with mental illness, and people in and out of corrections and other institutional care.
• The budget also establishes a new Homeless Youth Account, a $1 million account in the Department of Children and Families.

The budget also preserves HOMEConnecticut funding and carries forward the unallocated balance of approximately $1 million.

On the downside, the budget transfers $5 million from the Community Investment Act - which funds affordable housing through CHFA, in addition to open space, farmland and historic preservation initiatives - to the general fund, resulting in a decrease of $1.25 million to CHFA for affordable housing.

We will send additional information about the budget and the legislative session in next Tuesday's Housing Policy Briefs.