STAND. COM. REP. NO. 308-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2105
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health, to
which was referred H.B. No. 2105 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to create the Special Needs
Housing Special Fund to be used for supportive housing for
persons with mental illness and substance addiction in the
homeless population. 

     The Mental Health Association in Hawaii, American
Association of Retired Persons, Institute For Human Services,
Inc., and the Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance submitted
testimony in support of the bill.  The Department of Health and
the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii
supported the intent of the bill insofar as it does not replace
budgetary priorities in the Executive Supplemental Budget.

     Your Committees find that current facilities and programs
that provide special needs housing for persons with mental
illness and substance abuse additions have neither the funds nor
the capacity to offer services to all those in need.  The cost of
using mainstream public support systems, such as prisons,
hospitals, and emergency rooms, as the primary mechanism for
treating these persons, exceed the cost of outright treatment by
tens of thousands of dollars per capita per year.  This measure
supports the linking of housing services with mental health
substance abuse treatment.

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 308-00
                                 Page 2

 
 
     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health that are
attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the
intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2105 and recommend that it pass
Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair       DENNIS ARAKAKI, Chair