STAND. COM. REP. NO. 11

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 92

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 92 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Human Services to continue to administer Housing First programs for chronically homeless individuals in the State.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Catholic Charities Hawaii, the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, Partners in Care, PHOCUSED, the Partners in Development Foundation, and the Community Alliance for Mental Health.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.

 

Your Committee finds that the Housing First program has proven its success in many states as a way to more effectively address the chronically homeless.  These homeless are often the most visible homeless, living in our neighborhoods, doorways, and under bridges.  These persons experience homelessness over a long period of time and incur very significant public costs.  Housing First assists them to gain permanent housing and then provides the services needed to keep them in housing and successfully transition off the streets.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the appropriation amount from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 to reflect the amount requested by the Department of Human Services in the Governor's proposed Executive Budget; and

 

     (2)  Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 92, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 92, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

 

 

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair