Chapter 23B of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 31. There shall be within the department a joint task force on the safety and welfare of elderly and disabled persons residing in public housing. The task force shall consist of 9 members 1 of whom shall be the undersecretary for housing and economic development or their designee; 1 of whom shall be the undersecretary for elder affairs or their designee; 3 of whom shall be members of the Massachusetts Psychological Association, who specialize in at-risk mental illness patients; 4 of whom shall be directors of housing authorities representing geographic and population diversity. The joint task force shall advise the secretary of housing and economic development and the secretary of health and human services on best practices to ensure the safety and welfare of elderly and disabled persons residing in public housing, including investigating efforts to maximize overall facility and individual apartment safety and security.

The joint task force shall report to the general court the results of its investigation and study and any recommendations by filing the same with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate who shall forward the same to the chairs of the joint committee on elder affairs and the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery on or before January 1, 2020.