(a) The Commissioner of Social Services shall provide a special needs benefit for emergency housing to any recipient of payments under the temporary family assistance program and the optional state supplementation program who cannot remain in permanent housing because (1) a judgment has been entered against the recipient in a summary process action instituted pursuant to chapter 832, provided the action was not based on criminal activity, or a judgment has been entered against the recipient in a foreclosure action pursuant to chapter 846; (2) the recipient has left to escape domestic violence; (3) a catastrophic event, such as a fire or flood, has made the permanent housing uninhabitable or the recipient has been ordered to vacate the housing by a local code enforcement official; (4) the recipient shares an apartment with a primary tenant who is being evicted or is engaged in criminal activity; (5) the recipient was illegally locked out by a landlord and has filed a police complaint concerning such lockout; (6) the recipient has been living with a tenant who received a preliminary notice under § 47a-15 or a notice to quit because of termination of a rental agreement for lapse of time; or (7) the family has relocated because a child in the family has been found to have a level of lead in the blood equal to or greater than twenty micrograms per deciliter of blood or any other abnormal body burden of lead and the local director of health has determined, after an epidemiological investigation pursuant to § 19a-111, that the source of the lead poisoning was the residential unit in which the family resided. A person shall be eligible for the benefit under this section provided application is made to the commissioner within forty-five days of the loss of permanent housing by the recipient. On and after September 4, 1991, the benefit shall be limited to not more than one occurrence per calendar year and not more than sixty days per occurrence, except that any family receiving the benefit under this section pursuant to subdivision (7) with a child undergoing chelation treatment may receive the benefit for more than one occurrence provided the total number of days the benefit is received by the family for all occurrences is not more than eighty days in any calendar year. Any person receiving a benefit under this section shall agree to reside in any housing which was constructed, renovated or rehabilitated with state or federal financial assistance. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, any family receiving the benefit under this section pursuant to subdivision (7) shall not be required to reside in any housing in which the paint contains a toxic level of lead as defined by the Commissioner of Public Health in regulations adopted pursuant to § 19a-111. Under the temporary family assistance program, any person not eligible for the benefit under this section shall be referred to the Department of Social Services’ program for emergency shelter services.

(b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall provide for the direct vendor payment of the rent of any recipient of payments under the temporary family assistance program and the optional state supplementation program for whom he has made a finding of mismanagement and who resides in housing where the total rent, or the recipient’s share of the total rent, does not exceed thirty per cent of the payment standard, adjusted for region and family size under such program. Any finding of mismanagement by the commissioner shall be in accordance with federal law and regulations concerning mismanagement of funds, except that the commissioner may permit a recipient for whom vendor rent payments would terminate to request an extension of vendor rent payments. Such voluntary vendor rent payments shall be discontinued upon request of the recipient. If there is a rental arrearage at the time vendor rent payments are initiated, the commissioner may deduct from the payment under the temporary family assistance program and the optional state supplementation program an amount not to exceed thirty dollars per month. Such amount shall be used to pay the back rent due, provided recoupment by the department of an overpayment shall be suspended during payment of arrearages to the landlord.

(c) Within ten days of receiving a notice to quit issued pursuant to chapter 832, a recipient of benefits under the temporary family assistance program and the optional state supplementation program shall notify the commissioner of the receipt of such notice. No person shall be denied emergency housing assistance or declared ineligible for any other benefit because of a failure to notify the commissioner.