HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	93
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE  RESOLUTION

urging hawaii's congressional delegation to support legislation supporting incentives for public housing tenants to transition into permanent housing.

     WHEREAS, public housing is an affordable option for households with low income who cannot afford market rental housing prices; and

     WHEREAS, public housing should be a transitional option, rather than a permanent one; and

     WHEREAS, the waitlist for a public housing unit in Hawaii consists of several thousand people, and it can take several years before getting to the top of the list; and

     WHEREAS, while state public housing tenants undergo periodic income checks to determine if they remain eligible for public housing, federal housing tenants can continue to remain in the public housing unit even if their income increases above the eligibility level; and

     WHEREAS, for some tenants, living in public housing has become a permanent way of life, in part because there are few incentives to find permanent housing; and

     WHEREAS, a number of incentives could be implemented to encourage tenants to seek permanent or market rental housing, including savings programs where a portion of the tenant's rent is placed into an account for future use toward a home or market rental; and

     WHEREAS, additionally, the cap on the maximum rent amount could be increased, thereby requiring tenants with higher incomes to pay more in rent, particularly when rent is based on a percentage of the household income; and

     WHEREAS, rules relating to federal rental housing units need to be changed to require tenants who exceed income limits to find market rental or permanent housing, thereby allowing someone in need of low-rent housing an opportunity to obtain a unit; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, that this body urges Hawaii's Congressional Delegation to support legislation supporting incentives for public housing tenants to transition into permanent housing; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Hawaii's Congressional Delegation is also urged to support changes to federal rules to require tenants exceeding income limits for federal public housing units to find market rental or permanent housing; and

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

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title: 

Public Housing Tenants; Transition into Permanent Housing