Report Title:

Waiamano Home Crisis Shelter(SD1)

WHEREAS, the Waimano Home Crisis Shelter serves a useful purpose and helps with the transition of developmentally disabled adult clients from an institutional setting into the community; and

WHEREAS, it is difficult to place clients in the community without support services such as provided by the Crisis Shelter; and

WHEREAS, without a crisis-type shelter, it would be difficult for agencies that specialize in behavior management training programs, to successfully transition the institutionalized clients into the community; and

WHEREAS, individual residential care families and facilities would be reluctant to take clients with difficult behavior patterns into their homes without some assurance that behavior respite is available when needed; and

WHEREAS, the proposed closing of the Crisis Shelter will leave a large hole in the safety net for Hawaii's developmentally disabled adults; and

WHEREAS, the closure would discourage private care facilities from accepting these clients if there is no alternative crisis center; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-First Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, the Department of Health is requested to keep the Waimano Home Crisis Shelter open and operating until such time as an adequate public or private facility is able to offer the same services to these clients; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.