THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	69
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Urging the united states department of housing and urban development to remove designated buildings at Kalihi Valley Homes scheduled for demolition.

     WHEREAS, the most recent estimate of the total number of homeless persons in Hawaii is 6,029 on any given day; and

     WHEREAS, this is a significant increase from the last estimate in 1999 which was 3,171; and

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Homeless Point-in-Time Study of 2003, from which these estimates are derived, found that approximately 4,107 of these homeless persons are unsheltered; and

     WHEREAS, this is indicative of the limited number of shelter spaces available in the State; and

     WHEREAS, Kalihi Valley contains the State's two largest public housing projects, with over four thousand individuals; and

     WHEREAS, Kalihi Valley Homes was first opened in 1953 and was in need of major renovations by the mid-1990s; and

     WHEREAS, the demolition and disposition of public housing is authorized under section 18 of the Housing Act of 1937, as amended; and

     WHEREAS, seventy-two units at Kalihi Valley Homes are currently scheduled for demolition by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; and

     WHEREAS, renovating the existing units scheduled for demolition would help replenish the public housing inventory faster than demolition and reconstruction of units elsewhere; and

     WHEREAS, the only reason the seventy-two units are scheduled for demolition is to create more open space at Kalihi Valley Homes; and

     WHEREAS, given the high cost of demolition compared to the cost of renovations, these structurally sound units should be removed from the scheduled demolition to preserve available public housing for the homeless in Hawaii; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, the House of Representatives concurring, that the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development is urged to remove designated buildings at Kalihi Valley Homes from the list of structures scheduled for demolition and work with the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to renovate the units instead; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Interim Executive Director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, and each member of Hawaii's Congressional Delegation.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Public Housing; Kalihi Valley Homes