THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	143
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

urging the federal emergency management agency to consider utilizing funds for non-congregate housing for infrastructure and development needs for affordable RENTAL housing.

WHEREAS, the devastating wildfires in Maui have left thousands of residents displaced from their homes; and

WHEREAS, the ongoing chronic housing crisis on Maui created housing instability and shortages for Maui families; and

WHEREAS, an estimated one thousand six hundred renters have been displaced by the August 2023 Maui wildfires; and

WHEREAS, the majority of residents displaced have expressed a desire to live in an area geographically near to where their residences were before the wildfires; and

WHEREAS, federal emergency housing relief is presently providing temporary rental assistance to displaced families; and

WHEREAS, the development time for affordable rental housing is anticipated to be five to ten years; and

WHEREAS, displaced renters and homeowners will need short-term housing solutions beyond subsidized rentals while housing is developed or rebuilt; and

WHEREAS, meeting the need for additional affordable rental housing is critical to ensure adequate support for renters as federal aid subsides; and

WHEREAS, federal emergency housing relief can be utilized to create short-term rentals that can be sustained after the Federal Emergency Management Agency mission ends; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is urged to consider utilizing funds for non-congregate housing for infrastructure and development needs for affordable rental housing; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is urged to provide the State with clear parameters on the authorized uses of federal financial assistance; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is urged to provide a decision-making tree for federal support actions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Federal Emergency Management is requested to transfer to the State post-disaster mission any public assistance expenditures that will remain; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is urged to clarify the long-term commitment for continued Maui wildfire disaster-related support including housing for displaced residents; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Acting Director of Readiness of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

FEMA; Affordable Housing; Non-Congregate Housing; Infrastructure; Development