STAND. COM. REP. NO.  122-14

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1934

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Human Services and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1934 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to better assist individuals at risk of or experiencing homelessness by funding various homeless, housing, and supportive services programs and by transferring responsibility for the Homeless Assistance Working Group from the Department of Human Services to the Legislature.

 

     A council member representing District IV of the Honolulu City Council, Catholic Charities Hawaii, PHOCUSED, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Helping Hands Hawaii, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Partners in Care, Community Alliance for Mental Health, and Witt Counseling Service supported this bill.  The Department of Human Services and Department of Health provided comments.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Inserting blank appropriation amounts to facilitate discussion; and

 

(2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to further facilitate discussion.

 

     Your Committees respectfully request the House Committee on Finance to consider the following appropriation amounts in its deliberations on this measure:

 

(1)  $300,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 for substance abuse treatment and mental health support services for individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless (Section 2);

 

(2)  $200,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 for clean and sober housing support services (Section 3);

 

(3)  $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the shallow subsidy rental assistance program for homeless working individuals and their families (Section 4);

 

(4)  $750,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 to be deposited to the credit of the Housing First Special Fund for the continued administration of Housing First Programs for chronically homeless individuals (Section 6);

 

(5)  $750,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 to be appropriated out of the Housing First Special Fund for the continued administration of the Housing First Program in assisting chronically homeless individuals (Section 7);

 

(6)  $150,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 to support the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (Section 9);

 

(7)  $500,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 to provide matching funds for the Continuum of Care Permanent Supportive Housing Programs (Section 11); and

 

(8)  $100,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the construction and demonstration of innovative temporary housing solutions (Section 13).

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1934, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1934, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Health,

 

 

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair

 

____________________________

MELE CARROLL, Chair