[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1697 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1697

  To establish the elderly housing plus health support demonstration 
 program to modernize public housing for elderly and disabled persons.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 1, 2003

   Mr. Dodd (for himself, Mr. Sarbanes, and Mr. Reed) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish the elderly housing plus health support demonstration 
 program to modernize public housing for elderly and disabled persons.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Elderly Housing Plus Health Support 
Demonstration Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) there are at least 34,100,000 Americans who are 65 
        years of age and older, and persons who are 85 years of age or 
        older comprise almost one-quarter of that population;
            (2) the Bureau of the Census of the Department of Commerce 
        estimates that, by 2030, the elderly population will double to 
        70,000,000 persons;
            (3) according to the Department of Housing and Urban 
        Development report ``Housing Our Elders--A Report Card on the 
        Housing Conditions and Needs of Older Americans'', the largest 
        and fastest growing segments of the older population include 
        many people who have historically been vulnerable economically 
        and in the housing market--women, minorities, and people over 
        the age of 85;
            (4) many elderly persons are at significant risk with 
        respect to the availability, stability, and accessibility of 
        affordable housing;
            (5) one-third of public housing residents are approximately 
        62 years of age or older, making public housing the largest 
        Federal housing program for senior citizens;
            (6) the elderly population residing in public housing is 
        older, poorer, frailer, and more racially diverse than the 
        elderly population residing in other assisted housing;
            (7) two-thirds of the public housing developments for the 
        elderly, including those that also serve the disabled, were 
        constructed before 1970 and are in dire need of major 
        rehabilitation and configuration, such as rehabilitation to 
        provide new roofs, energy-efficient heating, cooling, utility 
        systems, accessible units, and up-to-date safety features;
            (8) many of the dwelling units in public housing 
        developments for elderly and disabled persons are undersized, 
        are inaccessible to residents with physical limitations, do not 
        comply with the requirements under the Americans with 
        Disabilities Act of 1990, or lack railings, grab bars, 
        emergency call buttons, and wheelchair accessible ramps;
            (9) a study conducted for the Department of Housing and 
        Urban Development found that the cost of the basic 
        modernization needs for public housing for elderly and disabled 
        persons exceeds $5,700,000,000;
            (10) a growing number of elderly and disabled persons face 
        unnecessary institutionalization because of the absence of 
        appropriate supportive services and assisted living facilities 
        in their residences;
            (11) for many elderly and disabled persons, independent 
        living in a non-institutionalization setting is a preferable 
        housing alternative to costly institutionalization, and would 
        allow public monies to be more effectively used to provide 
        necessary services for such persons;
            (12) congregate housing and supportive services coordinated 
        by service coordinators is a proven and cost-effective means of 
        enabling elderly and disabled persons to remain in place with 
        dignity and independence;
            (13) the effective provision of congregate services and 
        assisted living in public housing developments requires the 
        redesign of units and buildings to accommodate independent 
        living;
            (14) most of the elderly who reside in public housing are 
        eligible for Medicaid to pay for the cost of their being 
        institutionalized in nursing homes;
            (15) nursing home costs now exceed 42 percent of the entire 
        Medicaid program; and
            (16) by providing a nursing home resident the choice of 
        assisted living in public housing instead, the Federal 
        Government can save as much as three-quarters of the long term 
        per capita Medicaid costs and at the same time allow a frail 
        senior to age in place.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to establish a demonstration program to make 
        competitive grants to provide state-of-the-art, health-
        supportive housing with assisted living opportunities for 
        elderly and disabled persons;
            (2) to provide funding to enhance, make safe and 
        accessible, and extend the useful life of public housing 
        developments for the elderly and disabled and to increase their 
        accessibility to supportive services;
            (3) to provide elderly and disabled public housing 
        residents a readily available choice in living arrangements by 
        utilizing the services of service coordinators and providing a 
        continuum of care that allows such residents to age in place;
            (4) to incorporate congregate housing service programs more 
        fully into public housing operations; and
            (5) to accomplish such purposes and provide such funding 
        under existing provisions of law that currently authorize all 
        activities to be conducted under the program.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Assisted living facility.--The term ``assisted living 
        facility'' means any public housing project for the elderly, or 
        for the elderly and the non-elderly disabled, that is operated 
        in accordance with applicable laws and provides to the 
        residents any combination of the following services:
                    (A) Meal service adequate to meet nutritional need.
                    (B) Housekeeping aid.
                    (C) Personal assistance.
                    (D) Transportation services.
                    (E) Health-related services.
                    (F) Such other services as are considered important 
                for maintaining independent living.
            (2) Elderly and disabled families.--The term ``elderly and 
        disabled families'' means families in which 1 or more persons 
        is an elderly person or a person with disabilities.
            (3) Elderly person.--The term ``elderly person'' means a 
        person who is 62 years of age or older.
            (4) Person with disabilities.--The term ``person with 
        disabilities'' has the same meaning as in section 3(b)(3)(E) of 
        the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
        1437a(b)(3)(E)).
            (5) Public housing agency.--The term ``public housing 
        agency'' has the same meaning as in section 3(b)(6)(A) of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(6)(A)).
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Housing and Urban Development.

SEC. 4. AUTHORITY FOR ELDERLY HOUSING PLUS HEALTH SUPPORT PROGRAM.

    The Secretary shall establish an elderly housing plus health 
support demonstration program (referred to in this Act as the 
``demonstration program'') in accordance with this Act to provide 
coordinated funding to public housing projects for elderly and disabled 
families selected for participation under section 5, to be used for--
            (1) rehabilitation or re-configuration of such projects or 
        the acquisition and rehabilitation of an existing assisted 
        living facility in cases where the public housing agency has no 
        elderly housing stock suitable for conversion;
            (2) the provision of space in such projects for supportive 
        services and community and health facilities;
            (3) the provision of service coordinators for such 
        projects; and
            (4) the provision of congregate services programs in or 
        near such projects.

SEC. 5. PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAM.

    (a) Application and Plan.--To be eligible to be selected for 
participation in the demonstration program, a public housing agency 
shall submit to the Secretary--
            (1) an application, in such form and manner as the 
        Secretary shall require; and
            (2) a plan for the agency that--
                    (A) identifies the public housing projects for 
                which amounts provided under this Act will be used, 
                limited to projects that are designated or otherwise 
                used for occupancy--
                            (i) only by elderly families; or
                            (ii) by both elderly families and disabled 
                        families; and
                    (B) provides for local agencies or organizations to 
                establish or expand the provision of health-related 
                services or other services that will enhance living 
                conditions for residents of public housing projects of 
                the agency, primarily in the project or projects to be 
                assisted under the plan.
    (b) Selection and Criteria.--
            (1) Selection.--The Secretary shall select public housing 
        agencies for participation in the demonstration program based 
        upon a competition among public housing agencies that submit 
        applications for participation.
            (2) Criteria.--The competition referred to in paragraph (1) 
        shall be based upon--
                    (A) the extent of the need for rehabilitation or 
                re-configuration of the public housing projects of an 
                agency that are identified in the plan of the agency 
                pursuant to subsection (a)(2)(A);
                    (B) the past performance of an agency in serving 
                the needs of elderly public housing residents or non-
                elderly, disabled public housing residents given the 
                opportunities in the locality;
                    (C) the past success of an agency in obtaining non-
                public housing resources to assist such residents given 
                the opportunities in the locality; and
                    (D) the effectiveness of the plan of an agency in 
                creating or expanding services described in subsection 
                (a)(2)(B).

SEC. 6. CONFIGURATION AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.

    (a) Grants.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants to public 
        housing agencies selected for participation under section 5, to 
        be used only--
                    (A) for capital improvements to rehabilitate or 
                configure public housing projects identified in the 
                plan submitted under section 5(a)(2)(A);
                    (B) to provide space for supportive services and 
                for community and health-related facilities primarily 
                for the residents of projects identified in the plan 
                submitted under section 5(a)(2)(A); and
                    (C) for the cost of acquisition by a public housing 
                agency of an existing assisted living facility that is 
                in need of rehabilitation in cases where the public 
                housing agency has no elderly housing stock suitable 
                for conversion.
            (2) Source of funds.--Grants shall be made under this 
        section from funds made available for the demonstration program 
        in accordance with subsection (c).
            (3) Inapplicability of other provisions.--Section 9(c)(1) 
        of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
        1437g(c)(1)) does not apply to grants made under this section.
    (b) Allocation.--Grants funded in accordance with this section 
shall--
            (1) be allocated among public housing agencies selected for 
        participation under section 5 on the basis of the criteria 
        established under section 5(b)(2); and
            (2) be made in such amounts and subject to such terms as 
        the Secretary shall determine.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated for the demonstration program, to make grants in 
accordance with this section--
            (1) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2004; and
            (2) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005 and 
        each subsequent fiscal year.

SEC. 7. SERVICE COORDINATORS.

    (a) Grants.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants to public 
        housing agencies selected for participation under section 5, to 
        be used only--
                    (A) for public housing projects for elderly and 
                disabled families for whom capital assistance is 
                provided under section 6; and
                    (B) to provide service coordinators and related 
                activities identified in the plan of the agency 
                pursuant to section 5(a)(2), so that the residents of 
                such public housing projects will have improved and 
                more economical access to services that support the 
                health and well-being of the residents.
            (2) Source of funds.--Grants shall be made under this 
        section from funds made available for the demonstration program 
        in accordance with subsection (c).
            (3) Inapplicability of other provisions.--Section 9(c)(1) 
        of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
        1437g(c)(1)) does not apply to grants made under this section.
    (b) Allocation.--The Secretary shall provide a grant pursuant to 
this section, in an amount not to exceed $100,000, to each public 
housing agency that is selected for participation under section 5.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated for the demonstration program, to make grants in 
accordance with this section--
            (1) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2004; and
            (2) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005 and 
        each subsequent fiscal year.

SEC. 8. CONGREGATE HOUSING SERVICES PROGRAMS.

    (a) Grants.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants to public 
        housing agencies selected for participation under section 5, to 
        be used only--
                    (A) in connection with public housing projects for 
                elderly and disabled families for which capital 
                assistance is provided under section 6; and
                    (B) to carry out a congregate housing service 
                program identified in the plan of the agency pursuant 
                to section 5(a)(2) that provides services as described 
                in section 202(g)(1) of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 
                U.S.C. 1701q(g)(1)).
            (2) Source of funds.--Grants shall be made under this 
        section from funds made available for the demonstration program 
        in accordance with subsection (c).
            (3) Inapplicability of other provisions.--Other than as 
        specifically provided in this section--
                    (A) section 9(c)(1) of the United States Housing 
                Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g(c)(1)) does not apply to 
                grants made under this section; and
                    (B) section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 
                U.S.C. 1701q) does not apply to grants made under this 
                section.
    (b) Allocation.--The Secretary shall provide a grant pursuant to 
this section, in an amount not to exceed $150,000, to each public 
housing agency that is selected for participation under section 5.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated for the demonstration program, to make grants in 
accordance with this section--
            (1) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2004; and
            (2) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005 and 
        each subsequent fiscal year.

SEC. 9. SAFEGUARDING OTHER APPROPRIATIONS.

    Amounts authorized to be appropriated under this Act to carry out 
this Act are in addition to any amounts authorized to be appropriated 
under any other provision of law, or otherwise made available in 
appropriations Acts, for rehabilitation of public housing projects, for 
service coordinators for public housing projects, or for congregate 
housing services programs.
                                 <all>