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Department for Aging seeks $1 million in bond funds to scale ‘aging‑in‑place’ home‑repair pilot statewide
Summary
The Department of Aging and Disability Services asked the bonding subcommittee to allocate $1 million authorized by last year’s Public Act for a proven home‑repair pilot that paired low‑income older homeowners with credentialed minority contractors to perform capped, no‑cost repairs.
The Department of Aging and Disability Services (ADS) urged the Bonding Subcommittee to allocate $1 million that was authorized by the legislature to expand an aging‑in‑place pilot statewide.
Commissioner Amy Porter described the successful pilot, which contracted with the Minority Construction Council to identify low‑income homeowners in Hartford and Bloomfield and match them with credentialed minority‑business‑enterprise contractors who completed necessary repairs up to a $5,000 cap per home. The pilot served 25 homeowners per year and drew far more applications than could be funded.
Why it matters: ADS said minor home repairs — grab‑bars, small accessibility fixes, weatherization, and fall‑prevention work — materially improve older adults’ ability to remain safely in their homes and avoid more costly institutional care. ADS said the pilot leveraged local area‑agency partners, municipal agents and contractors and that state bond dollars could extend a proven model statewide.
What was asked and what comes next ADS requested that the subcommittee move the $1 million authorization into an allocation and that the agency run a competitive procurement to identify a program administrator for statewide rollout. ADS emphasized it would coordinate with the five area agencies on aging and municipal senior service offices to reach eligible participants.
Ending The department said it would track outcomes and asked the legislature to consider the pilot a cost‑effective investment in fall prevention, housing stability and lower long‑term care costs.
