STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1200

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   S.B. No. 515

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 515, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to support and fund programs offering services to individuals who are homeless.  Specifically this measure:

     (1)  Appropriates funds from the general revenues of the State to the Department of Human Services to fund Homeless Programs Office initiatives, rental assistance, Housing First programs, and the homeless prevention and rapid rehousing program, and to provide matching funds for the federal Shelter Plus Care Program;

     (2)  Authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds to fund appropriations for rental assistance from the Rental Housing Trust Fund; and

     (3)  Appropriates funds from the general revenues of the State to the Department of Health for substance abuse treatment and mental health services for individuals who are homeless, and for Clean and Sober Housing services.

Department of Health; Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition; the Community Alliance for Mental Health and United Self Help; Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice; Helping Hands Hawaii; the Homeless and Affordable Housing Institute; and two concerned individuals testified in support of this measure. Catholic Charities Hawaii; Mental Health Kokua; Partners in Care supported this measure with amendments.  The Department of Human Services provided comments.

     Your Committees note that certain services included in this measure  may be funded through separate individual appropriations in other measures, while other services for homeless individuals are not included in this measure.  

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Amending the purpose of the appropriation to the Department of Human Services Homeless Programs Office to include only housing and employment assistance and not health, education, and support services;

     (2)  Deleting the authorization for general obligation bonds and related appropriations to the Department of Human Services to fund the Rental Housing Trust Fund;

     (3)  Deleting general fund appropriations to the Department of Human Services for rental assistance programs and rapid re-housing programs;

     (4)  Deleting appropriations to the Department of Health for substance abuse and mental health support services that assist persons experiencing homelessness and at risk for homelessness;

     (5)  Establishing the Return-to-Home program and the Return-to-Home special fund to provide homeless individuals with assistance in being reunited with family and relatives in the individual's home state outside of Hawaii and appropriating funds to the special fund;

     (6)  Establishing and appropriating funds for temporary nighttime parking lots to provide safe overnight parking for homeless individuals who live and sleep in their motor vehicles;

     (7)  Establishing safe haven campsites on surplus or available open or vacant locations owned by the State including by appropriating funds to the Department of Human Services for safe haven facilities such as pavilions, showers, potable water, washing machines, lockers, and security and requiring the to adopt rules pursuant to Chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to implement the program; and

     (8)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 515, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 515, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Housing,

____________________________ RIDA T.R. CABANILLA, Chair

____________________________ MELE CARROLL, Chair