Bill would fund community and transitional housing for people with serious mental illness; advocates say housing reduces hospital boarding

Senate Bill 114, introduced by Sen. Donovan Fenton, seeks funding to expand and stabilize community and transitional housing for individuals with serious mental illness. The bill, as presented, proposed (1) one-time capital funds of up to $50,000 per bed to support 30–40 additional beds; (2) a general fund appropriation of $1,000,000 per year to stabilize existing supportive-housing programs; and (3) an increase in the certified community residence rate from $278 per day toward $350 per day (with projected federal Medicaid match leveraging).

Proponents — including Riverbend Community Mental Health, residents of community residences and NAMI New Hampshire — told the committee the funding would reduce emergency-department boarding at New Hampshire Hospital by providing discharge options and stabilize existing community residential programs that are operating with local subsidy. Riverbend’s leaders said community residential providers are subsidizing operations and that without additional support some programs are at risk of closure; Riverbend staff and two current residents described personal improvements and decreased hospitalizations after receiving supported-housing services.

Department of Health and Human Services bureau leadership told the committee the department supports efforts to grow and sustain housing options and that housing is a key component of Mission Zero’s work to reduce ED boarding; the department said it could work with sponsors and advocates to refine implementation but did not list this item as a top-budget priority in its submissions.

Committee procedure: testimony was heard; later in the session the committee deferred consideration of SB 114 to a later meeting (the chair announced the bill would not be taken up that day).