THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	93
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting the Hawaii housing finance and development corporation to review the feasibility of developing Single Room Occupancy dwellings in transit oriented development projects, to alleviate the affordable housing shortage.

     WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that the need for more affordable housing in Hawaii remains a significant problem affecting all segments of society; and

     WHEREAS, single room occupancy (SRO) dwellings offer a viable housing option for low-income individuals, students, single tenants, seasonal or other traveling workers, empty nester widows or widowers, and others who do not require large dwellings or private domestic appliances; and

     WHEREAS, SRO dwellings are an option to alleviate the affordable housing shortage, especially in urban areas with high land values; and

     WHEREAS, a typical SRO dwelling is a single eight-by-ten-foot room with shared bathrooms and kitchens; and

     WHEREAS, cities across the United States have a history of SRO dwellings or "residential hotels" that were populated by low‑wage workers, transient laborers, and recent immigrants; and

     WHEREAS, SRO hotels in the nineteenth century were extremely vital to immigrant populations; and

     WHEREAS, in the second half of the twentieth century, as the prices of land increased, landowners across the United States demolished an estimated one million SRO hotels; and

     WHEREAS, an epidemic of SRO demolitions was one of the primary causes of widespread homelessness in the United States; and

     WHEREAS, currently, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development has an SRO Program that provides rental assistance for homeless persons in connection with moderate rehabilitation of SRO dwellings; and

     WHEREAS, the federal SRO Program is designed to bring more standard SRO dwellings to the local housing supply to assist homeless individuals; and

     WHEREAS, the SRO dwellings may be in a rundown hotel, an old school, or even in a large abandoned home; and

     WHEREAS, with the evolution of our society, SRO dwellings can accommodate a broader spectrum of individuals who are homeless or working poor; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation is requested to review the feasibility of developing single room occupancy dwellings in transit oriented development projects, to alleviate the affordable housing shortage; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Corporation is requested to report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2011, including the impact on transit oriented development projects, costs, target beneficiaries, short-term and long-term effects, and sustainability; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

HHFDC; Single Room Occupancy