Newsfeed Category: New York State

State Issues Press Release on MRT Supportive Housing Initiative

Sep.17.2013

Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a press release last week on New York’s efforts to house high-cost Medicaid users through the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Supportive Housing Initiative. 

The press release, available here, provides details on the $46.7 million in capital funding that the state has already awarded through the program. This funding will help develop 483 new units of supportive housing in 12 residences across the state. 

The press release includes a quote from Jason Helgerson, New York State’s Medicaid Director and the soon-to-be recipient of the Government Partner of the Year award at our Awards Gala on October 16.

“There is compelling evidence, both in New York and nationally, that for people coping with chronic illness or disability and behavioral health challenges, the lack of stable housing often results in avoidable health care utilization and, in turn, avoidable Medicaid expenses,” Mr. Helgerson said. “There is a growing national recognition that addressing the social determinants of health is critical for improving health while reducing health care costs. This is most evident in the matter of housing.”

Congratulations to the Network members who’ve received awards:

Gov. Cuomo Announces $22.2 Million in HHAP Awards

Aug.27.2013

Governor Cuomo has announced $22.2 million in capital funding awards to develop seven new housing programs across New York State. Six of the awards will aid the construction of supportive housing residences. The grants, administered through the NYS Office of Temporary Disability and Assistance (OTDA)’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP), will help create 469 units of supportive housing in Albany, Bronx, Kings, Monroe and Westchester Counties.

“Supportive housing is essential to breaking the cycle of homelessness for New York’s most vulnerable individuals and families,” Governor Cuomo said. “Increasing the supply of supportive housing units not only provides vital assistance to New Yorkers in need, but also improves the efficiency of Medicaid by reducing emergency room visits, hospitalizations and lengths of stay in long-term care facilities.”

All six supportive housing projects are being developed by Network members: CAMBA Housing Ventures, Concern for Independent Living, DePaul Properties, New Destiny Housing, Westhab and Support Ministries. The supportive housing awards range from $1.1 million to $6 million. 

Among the awardees was Concern’s Norwood Terrace, a Bronx-based project expected for completion in 2016. 

Deal Reached on Adult Home Residents

Jul.26.2013

After nearly a decade of litigation, New York State announced on July 23 that it has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to provide the opportunity for 4,000 mentally ill people living in adult homes to move into OMH-funded scattered-site Supported Housing or other housing that is the most integrated setting appropriate to the individual. 

Under a consent decree, the state will offer assessments to at least 2,500 residents of 23 large adult homes in New York City. This process will determine whether residents are capable of moving into supported housing or other housing that's most appropriate for that individual. As part of the decision, the state agreed to create and subsidize at least 2,000 new scattered-site Supported Housing units to meet the expected increase in demand.

Health Homes or Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) plans will perform comprehensive assessments of the residents' physical and behavioral health needs. They'll also work with individuals to arrange for needed services and recommend the appropriate housing options.

Executive Order 38 Guidelines Released

Jul.12.2013

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order last year to rein in excessive compensation for New York State-funded entities. This order, known as Executive Order 38, became effective last month. The State has now released guidelines and forms for complying with the order, which you can find here.

Compensation paid to executives and reimbursed by State agencies cannot exceed $199,000 per year for organizations covered by Executive Order 38. Reimbursed administrative overhead costs are limited to 25% of State funding; this number decreases to 15% by 2015.

If you believe your agency must comply with these new guidelines, we encourage you to visit the Executive Order 38 website. You can find additional guidance from this document from the Human Services Council and this brief from the Lawyers Alliance for New York.

OMH Releases Plan to Consolidate State-Run Psychiatric Hospitals

Jul.11.2013

The NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) released its Regional Centers of Excellence Plan on July 10. The plan, available here, will consolidate New York's 24 State-run psychiatric hospitals and establish 15 Regional Centers of Excellence (RCE) across New York over the next three years.

RCEs will serve as networks for inpatient and community-based services. Each RCE will have a specialized inpatient hospital program located at its center along with geographically dispersed community service "hubs" to oversee state-operated, community-based services throughout the region.

State-run psychiatric facilities will close in a number of regions: St. Lawrence, Binghamton, Elmira, Rochester, Mid Hudson, Sagamore, Manhattan and Western NY Children's PCs. St. Lawrence, Binghamton, Elmira and Rochester will continue to provide outpatient services in the community as they do now.

For a list of all 15 RCEs that OMH will operate after the three-year transition process, see page five of this document.

Gov. Cuomo Highlights Supportive Housing in 2013 End of Session Report

Jul.02.2013

Governor Cuomo released his annual End of Session report, titled New York Rising, last month. The document offers a rundown of the policies supported by the Cuomo administration and includes an extended passage on the social and fiscal benefits of supportive housing.

"[Supportive housing] projects do a variety of important things," the report reads, "ranging from providing safe housing for domestic violence victims, to transitioning formerly homeless veterans with substance abuse issues to independent housing, to saving localities money by avoiding emergency housing placements in hotels and motels and other, more expensive institutional settings and reducing incidences of hospitalization and the associated costs."

New York Rising also highlights the Governor's Medicaid Redesign Team, which has invested $161 million in supportive housing in just two years. The report concludes that "supportive housing units transform lives, strengthen neighborhoods and communities and conserve public dollars."

You can read the full report here.