MINUTES for 2021-05-25 FINAL - Laserfiche WebLink

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Veterans Advisory Committee Minutes May 25, 2021 Page 4 notice to all the mentors, head's up who can go and meet with this vet? So I don't know the outcomes, if anyone goes to meet with them, but the call still goes out. Lewis: Excellent and sadly that's when they've already gotten stuck in the court and then of course we have other issues, like getting IDs, that's a huge issue for homeless veterans because some of them actually do have money coming in but they may not have an address and they may not have an ID that allows them to cash that. I guess, I just don't know who in the County and maybe you do, Michelle, who in the County, because homelessness is a big issue on the island in general and then with veterans we have a couple other ways to do it and why there was success in the Veterans Treatment Court is because at one point they had the discipline and able to, it's easier for them to transition sometimes, into that kind of program and be successful. Deputy Hiraishi: I can research on some of that and talk with our Housing Director, Susan Kunz and see what she has in the plans for connecting with homeless vets. Lewis: That would be wonderful. Chair Doolittle: To see firsthand how the homeless have affected our community, just go down to Bayfront during COVID and all these closed shops, each one of the doorways seem to be a campsite. It's been really, I was down there yesterday, right next to the veteran's clinic and there were a couple of characters walking down the street talking to themselves. You can just tell that they're not really in the real world and I don't know how that interaction, that's right next to a school and they're camping out on that river, you know that flood zone channel is and the trees along the edges of that because that's not something anyone really polices, and it's not privately owned. Hiduchick-Nakayama: Hey Mike, this is Johnny, and this may be a question for Pomai or Parks & Recs, is there a County taskforce handling homelessness and if so, are they emphasizing, or is there a Veteran on that taskforce? I'm just trying to think outside the box, because I understand the issue with the homelessness, but our goal is the veterans, if we can bring that effort together. Chair Doolittle: I don't know of any program within the County. Brittany Iyo: Yes, so the County, Housing and Community Development has Sharon Hirota and under Mayor Kim, she used to be the homeless coordinator as an EA, she's since gone back to Housing, but I believe she still acts as a homeless coordinator for the County. I don't know that she has a committee or a taskforce. I believe it's just her and she tries to coordinate with Hope Services and Parks & Recreation, and I don't know what other outside organizations. Hiduchick-Nakayama: Hey I would highly recommend, I'm not sure she's aware of this, but I work for the USDA, and we have programs that might be available to the County,