Requires an annual census of the homeless population at each county.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The State is required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide accurate and updated information every two years on the prevalence of Hawaii's homeless population. A census of Hawaii's homeless residents was completed in the years 2003 and 2005. The biennial census has provided information on the extent, characteristics, and causes of homelessness.

It is anticipated that the Department of Housing and Urban Development will mandate communities to begin performing a yearly census. The completion of an annual census of persons who are homeless will help to ensure competitiveness in receiving funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Information on population estimates, geographic distribution, ethnic composition, needs assessment, and identification of key populations will be valuable in securing related federal funding targeted at homeless sub-populations, including veterans, ex-offenders, and children. Moreover, updated and accurate data will assist in procuring additional homeless services funding from private sources, as well as evaluating progress on reducing homelessness in Hawaii.

SECTION 2. Chapter 201G-432, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:

"(d) The fund shall be used to provide loans or grants for the development, pre-development, construction, acquisition, preservation, and substantial rehabilitation of rental housing units. Permitted uses of the fund may include but are not limited to planning, design, land acquisition, costs of options, agreements of sale, downpayments, equity financing, capacity building of nonprofit housing developers, or other housing development services or activities as provided in rules adopted by the administration pursuant to chapter 91. The rules may provide for a means of recapturing loans or grants made from the fund if a rental housing project financed under the fund is refinanced or sold at a later date. The rules may also provide that moneys from the fund shall be leveraged with other financial resources to the extent possible.

The fund shall also be used to conduct an annual census of people who are homeless. The administration may enter into a contract for this purpose with a qualified private entity, subject to the requirements of chapter 103D, provided that the contract amount does not exceed $100,000 during any fiscal year."

SECTION 3. Act 196, Session Laws of Hawaii 2005, is amended by amending section 41 to read as follows:

SECTION 41. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2005; provided that:

SECTION 5. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.