STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3124

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2014

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Human Services and Water and Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 2014, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish and appropriate funds for the Puuhonua Homeless Villages program by providing housing and supportive services to homeless individuals under a housing first paradigm; and

(2) Provide limitations on liability for government entities and volunteers providing services.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Mayor's Office, County of Hawaii; ALEA Bridge; Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association; Hawaii Kai Homeless Task Force; Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; IMUAlliance; Housing Now! Coalition of Faith Action for Community Equity; Foo W. Lim & Sons, Inc.; and seventeen individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Department of Human Services, Department of Public Safety, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and Hawaii Association for Justice.

Your Committees find that the State has used homeless shelters and transitional group homes as an interim measure while attempting to place individuals and families experiencing homelessness into subsidized rentals and traditionally-constructed apartments. However, economic constraints, construction delays, and resistance by landlords to accept homeless tenants have made the supply of subsidized rental and traditionally-constructed apartments inadequate to meet the demand by homeless individuals. Your Committees further find that recent technological innovations have made it possible to construct housing units at a lower cost than what the State spends for unsheltered and nomadic homeless individuals and families. Using current technology to build homeless villages on state land will allow the State to create housing and implement housing first principles on a scale large enough to reduce, if not end, homelessness in the State.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the total number of units to be constructed within two years from eight thousand units to an unspecified amount;

(2) Replacing the minimum size of a village from two acres to one-half acre;

(3) Requiring the Department of Human Services, in conjunction with the Governor, to hold a public meeting prior to the establishment of a homeless village;

(4) Requiring the Department of Human Services, in consultation with the Governor, to report to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2020 the progress made in acquiring the parcels of state land identified by the Governor for the purpose of providing housing and supportive services to homeless persons;

(5) Deleting language limiting liability for providing services to individuals experiencing homelessness; and

(6) 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 Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2014, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2014, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair