104
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

REQUESTING A MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL AUDIT OF THE HOUSING AND
   COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF HAWAII.



 1       WHEREAS, in its "Five Year Strategic Plan 1999-2003", the
 2   Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii
 3   (Corporation) states that one of its goals is to increase and
 4   preserve rental housing opportunities for low-income households
 5   and special needs groups in independent and supportive living
 6   environments; and
 7   
 8       WHEREAS, the Corporation is currently undergoing a
 9   reorganization process after the recent dismissal of its
10   executive director; and
11   
12       WHEREAS, elected officials have visited some of the public
13   housing projects and have publicly questioned how certain
14   conditions in public housing can continue to exist; and 
15   
16       WHEREAS, residents have complained that their concerns with
17   the policies and practices of the Corporation have been largely
18   ignored; and
19   
20       WHEREAS, some of these concerns relate to:
21   
22       (1)  The deferred maintenance of state-financed public
23            homes, particularly the maintenance of Uluwehi Homes;
24   
25       (2)  The termite infestation of Kau'iokalani Homes which is
26            only five years old and is currently having to close
27            units due to termite infestations;
28   
29       (3)  Resident's sentiment that large amounts of federal
30            funds are not being used efficiently and, as a result,
31            residents are not deriving maximum benefit from funds
32            that are allocated to low-income housing programs; and
33   
34       (4)  The disproportionate amount of funds from the United
35            States Housing and Urban Development program,

 
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 1            distributed for drug elimination, are being used to
 2            police residents of these projects, instead of
 3            implementing programs that prevent drug abuse;
 4   
 5   and
 6   
 7       WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that it is in the best
 8   interests of the State to ensure that any state and federal
 9   funds expended to provide housing for low-income families or to
10   provide programs for residents to become self sufficient, be
11   used prudently to best serve those in need of theses services;
12   and
13   
14       WHEREAS, an audit would make the new executive director of
15   the Corporation aware of these areas of concern so that the
16   director can improve the services of the Corporation and ensure
17   the prudent use of its resources; now, therefore,
18   
19       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
20   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
21   of 2000, the Senate concurring, that the Legislative Auditor is
22   requested to perform a management and financial audit of the
23   Corporation for the period extending from July 1, 1998, to June
24   30, 2000; and
25   
26       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that as part of the audit, the
27   residents of state-financed public housing be interviewed as to
28   their concerns or questioned about how things are run and what
29   can be changed to improve the situation; and
30   
31       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Auditor address
32   these and other related issues and report the findings and
33   recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days
34   before the convening of the Regular Session of 2001; and
35   
36       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
37   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Legislative Auditor
38   and the Acting Executive Director of the Corporation.
39 
40 
41 
42                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________