STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3079

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1773

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Housing and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1773, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Human Services to support the:

     (1)  Housing First programs for chronically homeless individuals; and

     (2)  Shallow rent subsidy program to assist homeless working individuals and families in obtaining or maintaining permanent housing.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Coordinator on Homelessness under the Office of the Governor; Department of Human Services; Office of the Mayor, County of Maui; PHOCUSED; Helping Hands Hawai‘i; Catholic Charities Hawai‘i; The CHOW Project; Partners in Care; League of Women Voters of Hawaii; Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice; Hawaii Children's Action Network; and ten individuals.

     Your Committees find that Hawaii has the highest per capita rate of homelessness of any state in the nation, as an estimated 7,620 people are living on the streets and in shelters in Hawaii.  Addressing homelessness requires a multi-faceted approach using interventions targeted to the particular characteristics of the population being served.

     Your Committees further find that Housing First programs are proven to be effective in addressing homelessness for chronically homeless individuals, including those who have an addiction or mental illness, or both.  Your Committees note that the shallow rent subsidy program described in this measure is similar to the rapid re-housing program in the Governor's Executive Budget, which would target sheltered homeless individuals and families in order to increase efficiency and maximize utilization of the State's shelter inventory.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Substituting references to the "shallow rent subsidy program" with "rapid-rehousing program";

     (2)  Inserting language that appropriates funds for 1.75 full-time equivalent (1.75 FTE) positions within the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to manage the rent supplement program;

     (3)  Inserting language that specifies that the rent supplement program shall coordinate additional services of case management, financial literacy, and employment training; and

     (4)  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 Housing and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1773, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1773, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

________________________________ BREENE HARIMOTO, Chair