STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1215

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1851

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 1851, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR HOMELESS AND TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROJECTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to assist Hawaii's growing homeless population statewide by appropriating funds from the Emergency and Budget Reserve Fund (Fund) to:

(1) Homeless and transitional housing projects on Kauai, Hawaii, and Maui;

(2) Self-help housing projects on Oahu, Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui; and

(3) The state homeless shelter program.

The City and County of Honolulu Department of Community Services, Mayor of Kauai County, several members of the Maui County Council, Institute for Human Services, Inc. (IHS), Kauai Economic Opportunity, Incorporated, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Hawaii Catholic Conference, and numerous concerned individuals testified in support of this bill. A concerned individual supported this measure with an amendment. The Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii opposed this bill. The Department of Budget and Finance provided comments.

Your Committee recognizes that homelessness is a rapidly growing statewide problem that needs to be addressed immediately. While your Committee agrees that homelessness should be one of the Legislature's top priorities, there was some discussion on whether the Fund or general funds should be used for the appropriations in this measure. Several members believed that the appropriations should be expended from the general fund. However, the majority of your Committee agreed that the Fund is an appropriate source of funding because the need for homeless shelters and transitional housing is of an emergency nature and there currently aren't enough shelters and transitional housing to accommodate the growing homeless population.

Your Committee received testimony that individuals within the homeless population have different needs. For example, a large percentage of women using the services of IHS are mentally ill and their needs are very different from the needs of children and their families who should be placed separately from those women who are mentally ill.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Inserting an appropriation for homeless and transitional housing for children and families statewide; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1851, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1851, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Housing,

 

____________________________

MICHAEL P. KAHIKINA, Chair