January 30, 2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

COMMITTEE ON AGING MEETING Minutes of January 30, 2019 Page 2 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 18, 2018 SPECIAL MEETING: Frankie Stapleton moved to accept the Minutes, Judy Bell seconded, unanimously passed. 4. COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIR: Meizhu Lui thanked Karen Davis from Services for Seniors and C. Kimo Alameda, Executive on Aging Kimo of the Hawai'i County Office of Aging (HCOA) for their presentations on case management in November and December, and to the Advisory Committee members for their thoughtful deliberations on changing the way HCOA delivers case management services. 5. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC - none 6. EXECUTIVE'S REPORT ON 2018: C. Kimo Alameda A. Kimo noted that there are three different fiscal cycles; the Federal, State, and County are on different cycles. He reminded us that the office's "kule- ana" is to the frail aging population, not to active seniors. There is a written report of what was accomplished in 2018. B. Some high points where the office went above and beyond: (1) The office stepped into a leadership role during the crisis caused by the volcano erup- tion in Puna that started on May 3, 2018; our experience and our database allowed the HCOA to provide relief in a timely way. Kimo and many staff worked day and night to meet the needs caused by the disaster; (2) The of- fice provided "Safe Haven" for seniors discharged from the hospital and no home to return to by securing two slots in Hilo and four slots in Puna; Kimo hopes to expand that program. Unfortunately the "little houses" and the community created in Puna is only temporary, and those houses will be lost. C. It was noted that homelessness is a statewide issue that will be tackled in the coming legislative session. A pilot program in Honolulu (of course!) will provide a 50 percent rent subsidy for the poor - but on Hawai'i island that is not the whole solution since there is not enough housing to meet the need. Community Alliance Partners was formed to address homelessness on our island, and we are a part of that coalition.