Connecticut closing residential addiction recovery program in Hartford amid statewide mental health crisis

The state is closing a residential treatment program in Hartford for young adults with mental health and substance use disorders, temporarily eliminating 10 beds amid a national and statewide surge in mental health emergencies.

The state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services said Monday its lease was not renewed for the Blue Hills Avenue building that houses Hilltop Residential Program, one of several facilities in Connecticut that serves young adults ages 18 to 25.

DMHAS spokesman Art Mongillo said Hilltop’s five residents — the program is currently operating at half-capacity — will move to similar placements in Hartford. The state is also planning to establish 10 new residential placements for young adults, Mongillo said, but it’s not clear when or where they will be available.

He said the new beds will provide a “higher level of care” than Hilltop, a supervised apartment building where young adults typically stay for 18 to 24 months before transitioning to independent living.

Hilltop will close Nov. 19, according to an Oct. 19 letter the state Office of Policy and Management sent to the labor union representing mental health workers at the facility. The letter said all employees would receive new work assignments, but it did not mention any plan to establish new beds to replace those eliminated at Hilltop.

The New England Health Care Employees Union, an SEIU affiliate, swiftly denounced the closure out of concern for the population its members serve.

In a response to DMHAS acting Commissioner Nancy Navarreta, union president Rob Baril argued that shuttering Hilltop would disproportionately harm Black, Hispanic and Latino individuals “at the same time youth suicide and overdoses are skyrocketing and communities like Hartford that have been disinvested of critical services need mental health services now more than ever.”

The state serves about 260 young adults each year in residential programs, and about 1,240 more young adults with outpatient services, Mongillo said Monday.

He declined to say how many beds there are in the DMHAS-run young adult services program, how many people are on the wait list for services, or how long individuals typically wait.

Check back for updates.

Rebecca Lurye can be reached at rlurye@courant.com.

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