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1-4-0~ <br /> Hawaii County Council Meeting Zry~Z Jftta y fl~ $ <br /> Regarding Bi11345 <br /> Testimony against ~ ' ' ' <br /> wfllJ~,i <br /> I am here today to speak against Bi11345. I am not here to speak against the obvious and <br /> <br /> justified concerns in regards to pazking, traffic, cesspool, septic tank and residential <br /> overloads that will without a doubt negatively affect neighborhoods. <br /> I am here to challenge the goals and objectives of the programs seeking the enactment of <br /> this bill. I do not think it is realistic to gather eight or less unrelated people with varying <br /> challenges together with an undetennined number of therapists and changing shift <br /> substitute parents under one roof under the auspices of normalizing their living situation. <br /> I will not criticize Bill 345 or the program seeking zoning changes without offering what <br /> I consider to be a positive alternative which will not intrude upon nor overload <br /> neighborhoods and the utilities therein. I am in agreement that people with challenges <br /> should be in homes in neighborhoods although I do not think that grouping problems <br /> together assists in overcoming the problems. I believe those with special needs be placed <br /> on loving, secure homes in neighborhoods and that group therapy sessions be attended as <br /> needed. <br /> To validate my belief in helping those with special needs, I retired from 36 years of <br /> teaching special needs children in Hawaii from 1966-2002. I am and have been involved <br /> with a wide range of volunteer special needs groups and I adopted two special needs <br /> students and am guardian of another who was in my class and has been the light in my <br /> family for the past 6 yeazs. I am proud of these three boys I have been blessed with <br /> raising and am extremely proud of what they have become. My boys were not babies <br /> when their parents asked for help in raising them. They were age 10, 11, 12 years old. <br /> The ten year old is now 43, the 11 year old is now 44 and the 12 year old will be 19 in <br /> February. <br /> I advocate true families not one weekend parent, one day parent and stiil yet another <br /> evening parent... this is not a stable nurturing environment in which to flourish. I believe <br /> such a proposal is obviously setting itself up for failure both in neighborhood overload as <br /> well as in unnatural grouping and parenting. <br /> Thank you for the opportunity to express my thoughts in regazds to speaking against Bill <br /> 345 and advocating for true family settings with stable, loving, committed parents along <br /> with therapy groups or individual counseling as needed <br /> Gwynn Sosa <br /> 5'6Y 3 330 <br /> Comm. No. 7• <br /> Ref. ion <br /> Ref. bate JAN 4 20QT <br /> <br />