HCR262 HD1.DOC

WHEREAS, there is an immediate and growing problem of homeless individuals and families on the Waianae Coast; and

WHEREAS, the Waianae Coast is a geographic area of the island of Oahu comprising United States Census Tracts 98.01, 98.02, 97.01, 97.02, 96.03, and 96.01, and which includes Kalaeloa; and

WHEREAS, the Waianae Coast has long been perceived as a community with significantly disproportionate socio-economic needs and for the past several years has been noted for the number of homeless individuals and families who populate its beaches and other public and private properties; and

WHEREAS, the 2005 Waianae Coast Housing Summit identified a need for housing for increasing numbers of individuals and families living on the beaches of the Waianae Coast; and

WHEREAS, Governor Linda Lingle issued a proclamation that created the H.E.A.R.T. team and facilitated the planning and construction of shelters to address homelessness, which resulted in an additional five shelters in the West Oahu area, including the Kalaeloa area of Kapolei, for a total of seven shelters to serve the community; and

WHEREAS, in response to the community's call for action, the City and County of Honolulu worked with the Waianae Coast and Nanakuli-Maili Neighborhood Boards to close public beaches and remove homeless families and individuals; and

WHEREAS, Paiolu Kaiaulu, an emergency shelter on the Waianae Coast that was erected in 2007 to serve the immediate needs of homeless individuals and families may close in 2012, which would eliminate emergency shelter units on the Waianae Coast; and

WHEREAS, current economic conditions have resulted in the reduction of the level of human services provided and agencies to provide them, while there are still people on the streets and beaches with multiple needs that cannot be met with the current inventory of shelters; and

WHEREAS, the 2009 Waianae Coast Housing Summit identified the need to work together to develop system improvements, improve the quality and accountability of services provided, and plan for the future; and

WHEREAS, the Leeward Housing Coalition, formed as a community-based effort, continues to address homelessness concerns and works with the City and County of Honolulu's Continuum of Care and Partners in Care to improve conditions for homeless individuals and families on the island of Oahu; and

WHEREAS, despite all of this collaborative effort, there remains a need to address the housing and homelessness issues along the Waianae Coast; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature requests the establishment of a Waianae Coast Homelessness Task Force (Task Force) to develop a comprehensive plan to address the immediate, short-, and long-term needs of the Waianae Coast and Kalaeloa; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force is requested to:

(1) Identify community, agency, and funding resources serving the homeless and at-risk homeless populations;

(2) Develop a continuum of care for Waianae Coast individuals and families who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless;

(3) Develop a case management system based on client outcomes that connects outreach, emergency shelters, transitional housing, and support programs;

(4) Provide recommendations for a single point of access system; and

(5) Identify existing shelters and recommend changes in the physical and appropriations infrastructure;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Leeward Housing Coalition is requested to serve as the lead agency for this planning project with support from the Office of Planning; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force include:

(1) Representatives from neighborhood boards, selected by the lead agency;

(2) Representatives from community organizations, selected by the lead agency;

(3) The Director of Human Services or the Director's designee;

(4) The Director of Health or the Director's designee;

(5) The Dean of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work or the Dean's designee;

(6) The Chancellor of Leeward Community College or the Chancellor's designee;

(7) The Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs or the Chair's designee;

(8) The Chair of the Hawaiian Homes Commission or the Chair's designee;

(9) The Director of the City and County of Honolulu, Community Services Department or the Director's designee;

(10) The Executive Director of the Hawaii Community Development Authority or the Executive Director's designee; and

(12) The President of Kamehameha Schools or the President's designee;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation is requested to serve as a resource for the Task Force; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force is requested to submit a report describing the progress made by the Task Force, its findings and recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2011; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Director of the Office of Planning, the Director of Human Services, the Director of Health, the Dean of the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the Chancellor of Leeward Community College, the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Chair of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, the Director of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Community Services, the Executive Director of the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the Executive Director of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, the Executive Director of the Leeward Housing Coalition, the President and Headmaster of Kamehameha Schools, and the Neighborhood Commission.

Report Title:

Establishing the Waianae Coast Homelessness Task Force

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	262
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII