A hearing officer said she would uphold a notice to discharge a 71-year-old resident of Whispering Winds in East Haven after the facility documented two months of unpaid rent.

Hearing officer Stacy Shulman told resident Roseanne Minervini on the record that the facility issued a notice for nonpayment and that the facility’s accounting shows unpaid balances for November and December 2025 totaling $979.10. “Currently as of 12/09/2025, you have a balance owed of $979.10,” the facility administrator said during the hearing. Shulman said she must uphold the discharge and that a written decision will be issued within 20 days, no later than Jan. 15; the facility’s paperwork lists Jan. 16 as the potential discharge date.

The facility’s representative, identified in the hearing as Miss Wright and the administrator/director, told the hearing that staff offered multiple options to secure rent payment, including serving as a representative payee or holding the resident’s benefit card and creating an account to document deposits for state agencies. Wright said she had provided Minervini with a rent statement dated Dec. 9, 2025 showing two months unpaid and that she had prepared a discharge plan listing three shelter options and referrals for mental-health and addiction services.

Minervini, who was sworn and testified, said she did not dispute failing to pay and said she has been trying to obtain rental-assistance help for about a week. She described a recent history of homelessness, family losses, health problems including a recent stroke, interruptions in medication deliveries, difficulty with a roommate and struggles with addiction: “I’ve been on the phone for about a week now trying to get back rent help,” she said. She told the hearing she had agreed with Wright to pay an extra $100 a month toward back rent but said she lacks sufficient income to both relocate and catch up on arrears.

Shulman urged Minervini to contact the long-term care ombudsperson’s office and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for interim placement and support, and noted the facility listed local shelters as possible placements in the discharge plan. The hearing officer said that if Minervini pays the back rent, the facility would consider keeping her; otherwise the written decision will set the final discharge date.

The hearing concluded after staff agreed to forward the facility’s discharge plan and rent statement to Lorraine Walker at the state email provided, who will then circulate the documents to the hearing officers for the record. The officer closed the hearing after reiterating the timeline for a written decision and advising Minervini on immediate options for housing and services.