HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	90
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO ENTER INTO ADDITIONAL CONTRACTS WITH PROVIDER AGENCIES TO OPEN ADDITIONAL HOMELESS SHELTERS IN WAIPAHU.

WHEREAS, homelessness, which causes major public health and societal issues, continues to be one of the most significant and persistent problems in the State; and

WHEREAS, in 2018, according to the Hawaii Statewide Point in Time Count:

(1) There were over six-thousand five-hundred homeless individuals in the State;

(2) There were over four-thousand homeless individuals on the island of Oahu in 2018; and

(3) Nearly half of the homeless individuals on Oahu in 2018 were unsheltered; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Statewide Point in Time Count also estimated that in 2018, the Ewa region of Oahu, which includes Waipahu, experienced an 8.2 percent increase in the number of unsheltered homeless individuals compared to the previous year, while the overall unsheltered homeless population on Oahu decreased by 7.7 percent over the same period; and

WHEREAS, nearly thirty percent of the homeless population in the Ewa region are in Waipahu; and

WHEREAS, in December 2016, the Waipahu Lighthouse Outreach Center, which had served as a homeless shelter for ten years, permanently closed due to the organization's inability to meet new Department of Human Services regulations; and

WHEREAS, the closure of the Waipahu Lighthouse Outreach Center serves as an example of the difficulty in maintaining adequate bed space for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Waipahu; and

WHEREAS, the high cost of rent for existing housing, high cost of construction of new housing, and complex state and county laws serve as barriers to the placement of homeless individuals and families in affordable, long-term housing in Waipahu; and

WHEREAS, there are very few homeless shelters in or near Waipahu, and only a handful of those shelters provide homeless individuals and families with necessary services; and

WHEREAS, the continued increase of the number of homeless individuals in Waipahu hinders the community redevelopment outlined in the City and County of Honolulu's Waipahu Town Action Plan; and

WHEREAS, numerous community plans have been made for Waipahu to improve development, preserve its historic character, and prepare the area for rail transit; and

WHEREAS, to implement the Waipahu Town Action Plan, the issues of homelessness in the area must be addressed; and

WHEREAS, steps must be taken to provide necessary assistance to homeless individuals in Waipahu, as well prevent other potential at-risk individuals from becoming homeless; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, that the Department of Human Services is requested to enter into additional contracts with provider agencies to open additional homeless shelters in Waipahu; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Services and the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Department of Human Services; Waipahu; Homeless; Shelters