HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0589.034 2020-2022 Itch Kahua Hale O Ulu Wini —The Homes of Ulu Wini
Hawaii Affordable Properties
73-4180 Ulu Wini Pl.
Kailua Kona, Hawaii 96740
(808)319-2367 FAX (808) 319-2365 COUMCLERK
COUNTY OF HAWArl
RECEIVED
Da te ` zulz
February 22, 2022
TO: Maile M. David, Council Chair and Hawaii County Council Members
FROM: Toni Symons, Program Director, Na Kahua Hale O Ulu Wini and the Family
Assessment Center
RE: Proposed Amendment to Bill No. 111, Draft 2; an Ordinance Amending Chapter 19, Article
11, Section 19- 90, of the Hawaii County Code 1983 (2016 Edition, as Amended), Relating to
Real Property Taxes.
Aloha, My name is Toni Symons and I am the Program Director at Ulu Wini. Last year we
added the Family Assessment Center to our program to help our community better support
families who are homeless, facing homelessness or just needing support. We see families
every single day who need housing and don't know what to do. There is no housing, period.
And if you are a family fleeing domestic violence you have an even steeper hill to climb to find
a safe place for your family. This is our daily reality and its so hard to have to keep saying
"there is no housing you can afford at this time."
It is imperative that we all support of Bill 111, which would appropriate at least 75% of the
property tax revenue that is currently collected from second homes valued over$2 million.
In my work as a Program Director], I help members of our community avoid and overcome
homelessness through programs like the Ulu Wini Family Assessment Center. These are an
integral part of the wraparound services offered by partners in our community. These programs
are proven successful, but only when they are adequately funded! There are many more
people on Hawaii Island who need services and a roof over their head. There are many first-
time homeless families, and they need our support to guide them through the system.
If you increased funding, we would likely be able to keep our doors open and continue to
provide support to families in Hawaii County.
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Na Kahua Hate U Ulu Wini—The Homes of Ulu Wini
Hawaii Affordable Properties
73-4180 Ulu Wini Pl.
Kailua Kona, Hawaii 96740 3
(808)319-2367 FAX (808) 319-2365
i
Homelessness is a traumatic experience, Whether someone is on the street for one night or for
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ten years, the trauma they experience can become a complex and vicious cycle of health
issues (which include mental health/substance abuse), low wages, inability to become
employed, violence, abuse, arrest, incarceration, and broken support systems. If these issues are not
adequately addressed, and if the person is not able to heal they are unlikely to attain permanent
housing.
With federal COVID money drying up in September, and state funding that is unreliable and
inadequate, we need our county to step up and make sure that programs like ours are well
resourced, so that we can continue to move the needle on homelessness.
Please join me in supporting Bill 111, so that we can make housing and wraparound services
accessible to our island's most vulnerable residents.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify.
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