THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

226

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

  

STATE OF HAWAII

  
   

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

urging support for malama o kamali'i makamae in its efforts to develop care home facilities for children of hawaiian ancestry.

WHEREAS, the mission and goals of Malama O Kamali'i Makamae's Children Hanai Ohana Care, Emergency Shelter, and Learning Centers are to provide long-term and emergency care for children in need of a place of refuge, a place for physical and emotional healing, a place for educational care and learning in a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment; and

WHEREAS, the purpose of Malama O Kamali'i Makamae is to provide for children ages zero to thirteen years old, who are victims of adults' unemployment, homeless, addiction to drugs, alcohol, abusiveness, and self-destruction;

WHEREAS, Malama O Kamali'i Makamae service preference will be given to kamali'i of Hawaiian ancestry, who are orphaned, abandoned, abused, homeless, and neglected in their present living environment from their adult care-givers; and

WHEREAS, due to a shortage of qualified case workers, too many children are neglected and fall through the cracks of the Child Protective System, such as the recent case in Puna; and

WHEREAS, there are insufficient emergency care facilities to meet the growing need of children in imminent danger in their present living environment; and

WHEREAS, there is no self-contained long-term care facility for children to go to for protection, safety, and uninterrupted academic and cultural learning; and

WHEREAS, the 2002 Statistical Report of Child Abuse and Neglect in Hawaii by the Department of Human Services indicated an almost one hundred percent increase of child abuse or neglect occurrences of children who are of Hawaiian ancestry, from eight hundred forty-three occurrences reported in 1998 to one thousand six hundred twenty-one occurrences reported in 2002; and

WHEREAS, the 2002 Native Hawaiian Data Book statistical report on homeless children of Hawaiian ancestry indicated three hundred fifty-seven children ages zero to five years in 2000-2001; and

WHEREAS, the Research Report of Ho'owaiwai Na Kamali'i, a subsidiary of Alu Like and affiliates, indicated, for children of Hawaiian ancestry, the following:

(1) "Kids reporting poor family supervision was forty-nine per cent" and "Kids reporting parents unconcerned about anti-social behavior was twenty-eight per cent";

(2) Eighth graders reporting drug use in the home were fifty-six per cent, tenth graders with regular cigarette use were twenty-one per cent, tenth graders with regular use of alcohol were forty-one per cent, and tenth graders with regular marijuana use were twenty-eight per cent; and

(3) Public school students scoring below average SAT reading were twenty-nine per cent, public school students scoring below average SAT math were twenty-six per cent, students in elementary school in Special Education Programs were fifteen per cent, and children in free/reduced lunch program were sixty-seven per cent; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii's children of Hawaiian ancestry are at risk of falling into the behavioral, lifestyle, and substance abuse patterns of their peers and adult family members, and are also at imminent risk for their health, safety, well being, and economic status in their present environment, which would affect their ability to grow, develop, and learn; and

WHEREAS, Malama O Kamali'i Makamae will advocate healthier, safer, happier ways a child can live and to "break the ice" cycle that many of these children are in danger of being influenced and endangered by; and

WHEREAS, this organization would promote good study and learning habits to improve their educational status in becoming proficient students under the federally mandated No Child Left Behind program; and

WHEREAS, Malama O Kamali'i Makamae would work and partner with the Windward communities' resources in promoting a healthier lifestyle by constructing and operating the first "Hale Malama O Kamali'i Makamae" in Kahalu'u, a lead community in the fight against "ice" and drugs campaign, then expand to other Oahu areas and on each of the islands of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, a significant benefit would be achieved by authorizing and allowing Malama O Kamali'i Makamae, a nonprofit organization, to assist state agencies with the overload for emergency care and other social and educational services to children ages zero to thirteen years old, especially Native Hawaiian kamali'i; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature encourages the support of Malama O Kamali'i Makamae in its efforts to develop state of the art care home facilities for needy children of Hawaiian ancestry who are thirteen years old or younger; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that state child care and welfare service agencies with the Department of Health and Department of Human Services explore adding Malama O Kamali'i Makamae to their lists of authorized diversion services for these children; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Services, Director of Health, and the President of Malama O Kamali'i Makamae.

 

 
 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Malama O Kamali'i Makamae; Care Facilities for Native Hawaiian Children