STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2521

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2579
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B.
No. 2579, S.D. 1, entitled:

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"


begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to create a special needs
housing special fund to provide housing for the mentally ill and
substance abusers.

     Your Committee finds that a conservative estimate based on
the 1999 Homeless Needs Assessment Study suggests that between
five hundred fifty and eight hundred mentally ill homeless
persons are in need of affordable housing.  The homeless problem
remains unresolved in our community primarily because of the
inability of government to comprehensively and systematically
provide for this growing population of our State.

     By creating a special needs housing special fund, this bill
will provide the funding vehicle necessary to link state housing
services with mental health and substance abuse treatment and to
provide participants with the support they need to obtain and
maintain housing in Hawaii.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2521
                                   Page 2


Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
2579, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

                                 Respectfully submitted on behalf
                                 of the members of the Committee
                                 on Ways and Means,



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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