RES 122 Draft 01 2012-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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J�tY' M COUNTY OF HAWAII STATE OF HAWAII 7TH OF MF'' -• RESOLUTION NO. 122 13 A RESOLUTION URGING THE MAYOR TO ADDRESS CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS IN HAWAII COUNTY. WHEREAS, the Point-In-Time count is a mandated count by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to identify the number of homeless individuals and families in the U.S.; and WHEREAS, The State of Hawai`i 2012 Point-In Time count provides evidence of statewide increases in chronic homelessness over the last three years; and WHEREAS, the 2012 Point-In Time count shows that 43 percent of homeless individuals in Hawai`i County are identified as chronic; and WHEREAS, HUD defines a chronically homeless individual as an unaccompanied individual with a diagnosable substance use disorder, serious mental illness, developmental disability, or chronic physical illness or disability, including the co-occurrence of two or more of these conditions, who either has been continuously homeless for at least one year or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years; and WHEREAS, the Point-In-Time aggregate chronic homeless data from 2010 to 2012 shows 13.7 percent increase in unsheltered chronic homeless count in Hawai`i County; and WHEREAS, chronic homeless presence has increased especially in the Kailua Village Business Improvement District, a major economic hub in West Hawai`i, and poses a special challenge for businesses in the area; and WHEREAS, the County has received numerous complaints from businesses, locals, and tourists about a small contingent of homeless individuals congregating along Ali`i Drive in Kona panhandling, intimidating shoppers and making them uncomfortable merely by their presence; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that the Mayor is urged to address chronic homelessness in Hawai`i County to curtail further economic and social costs to the County and its taxpayers. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a representative from the Mayor's Office appear before the Council 45 days after the adoption of this resolution to apprise the Council on potential strategies to address chronic homelessness, to share with the Council the issues and challenges the County faces in dealing with chronic homelessness, and to inform the Council of measurable actions it can take to address chronic homelessness in Hawai`i County.