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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0293.005 2012-2014William P. Kenoi Mcrvor Walter K.M. Lau Managing Director Randall M. Kurohara Depary Managing Director County of Hawaii Office of the Mayor 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720 • (808) 961 -8211 • Fax (808) 961 -6553 KONA: 74 -5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy., Bldg. C • Kailua -Kona, Hawaii 96740 (808) 323 -4444 • Fax(808)323 -4440 "'> September 18, 2013 r' ® - co —C Council Chairman J Yoshimoto r— and Members of the County Council County of Hawai'i o Hilo, HI 96720 %0 -- RE: Homeless Presentation to the Hawaii County Council Good Morning Chair Yoshimoto and Members of the Council: My name is Clarysse Kami Nunokawa, Executive Assistant with the Office of the Mayor. I am here today representing Managing Director Wally Lau, and the members of the West Hawaii Chronic Homeless Intervention and Rehabilitation Project (CHIRP) working group. We thank Councilman Dru Kanuha for introducing the legislation and the Council for their foresight in passing Resolution 122 -13 urging the Mayor to address chronic homelessness in Hawaii County, and to report back to the Council in 45 days. We are pleased to provide this update to the Council on the issues and challenges, potential strategies, and actions identified by our working group. We began our efforts in West Hawaii because of the challenges residents, visitors, and business are experiencing with the chronic homeless population in Kailua Village. Although our initial focus is Kailua Village, we understand that this is an island wide problem; we've already received calls because of similar challenges faced in downtown Hilo. We believe that the strategies we use and the lessons learned in Kailua Village can be used across the island. In fact, we have begun the replication process. We have had our first meeting with stakeholders in downtown Hilo and have been asked to regularly convene a group that focuses on downtown Hilo. The chronic homeless individual is the most vulnerable of the homeless population. They have experienced homelessness for a year or longer, and may have mental illness, substance abuse addiction, physical illness, injury or trauma, or all of the above. They are frequent users of our emergency service and public safety systems. The National Alliance to End Homelessness states that although the chronic homeless represent a smaller percentage of the overall homeless population, they use more than 50% of the services. But more than a statistic, they are people first. They are somebody's brother or aunty that has fallen onto difficult times, and we are committed to approaching and treating each individual with fairness, dignity, and aloha. One of the first things we did was to create the CHIRP working group that convened 25 representatives from government, the human service sector and business because we believe that it will take all of us working together to move this issue. Together, the CHIRP conducted research — are there successful models that we could modify and make our own? Housing First is a national model that provides No. Comm. 0 211.3 . S County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. Comm. CO J-1447— Ref. To: Ref. Dote Council Chairman J Yoshimoto and Members of the County Council Page 2 September 18, 2013 housing to the homeless person and wraps services around them. Currently, many of the State and Federally funded programs require a person to be drug -free before they are accepted. This has been a deterrent to services for some of the chronically homeless population. Housing First accepts folks where they are at, builds trust and provides counseling until the individual agrees to treatment. We have assets to build on. The County has worked hard and done an excellent job of adding emergency and transitional housing options. We have an emergency shelter in West Hawai'i that can house up to 16 men and 15 women. Na Kahua Hale O Ulu Wini, our transition housing project for families offers 76 rental units with 17 of those used as Transition Housing. We recently trained eight bike patrol officers in West Hawaii and they have begun patrols from Kahalu'u Beach Park to the Old Airport. Finally, our human service organizations have a group called the Community Alliance Partners who meet regularly. Members of this alliance are important partners and provide helpful insight at our CHIRP working group meetings In the short time that we've been meeting we have made headway. We've developed two parallel strategies, Intervention and Rehabilitation. Under our Intervention Strategy, we are conducting research to identify laws that could be strengthened and gaps in our system. HPD has begun bike patrols and we are hearing positive feedback from residents and businesses that are appreciative for the services that these officers now provide. Under the Rehabilitation Strategy we have committed to identifying each homeless individual in Kailua Village and to build a multi - disciplinary team that will work together to figure out how to support each individual. There is great need and great interest in working together to alleviate the chronic homeless problem on Hawaii Island. We recognize that we can't solve the problem, but hope that by working together we can better manage this issue. 1. The Intervention Subcommittee will continue to work on strengthening our laws and legal response. 2. The Rehabilitation Subcommittee will identify additional services needed and research cost and funding opportunities. 3. The Multi- Disciplinary Team Subcommittee will meet regularly and replicate its efforts in East Hawaii. 4. The CHIRP will continue to meet regularly and replicate its efforts in East Hawaii. We recognize that this is a complex and long term issue and that we have a lot of work ahead. We accept this challenge. On behalf of the Chronic Homeless Intervention and Rehabilitation Project working group and the Mayor's Office, we thank you for your time and interest, and look forward to working with you to alleviate the chronic homeless problem on Hawaii Island. Respectfully submitted, Clarysse Kami Nunokawa Executive Assistant County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.