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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-02-02 Letter to John Mizuno and Tom Brower re HB 2461 relating to HomelessnessHarry kim Mayor Cr.,ounfv. of Paivail Wil Okabe Managing Director Barbara J. Kossow Deputy Managing Director Mffirr of fir Alavor 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603 • Hilo, Hawai'i 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 February 2, 2018 Representative John Mizuno, Chair House Committee on Health and Human Services Hawaii State Capitol, Room 329 Honolulu, HI 96813 Representative Tom Brower, Chair House Committee on Housing Hawaii State Capitol, Room 329 Honolulu, HI 96813 Dear Chair Mizuno and Brower, and Committee Members: Re: HB 2461 relating to Homelessness Hearing Date: 02/02/18 — 11:35 am; House Conference Room 329 As Mayor of Hawaii County, I strongly support HB 2461 which would provide $2/ million in much-needed funds for our proposed Homeless Villages and Assessment Centers for West and East Hawai'i. We have learned tremendously from our experience with Camp Kikaha in Kona, where we provided an alternative site for the homeless, who had been squatting at our Old Airport Park. Our plan now is to develop a larger site on approximately 15 acres, referred to as Village 9 in Kealakehe. It will utilize the following: • The evidenced based success of the current Kaka'ako Family Assessment Center, connecting people with services based on need through a one-stop center; • The village concept, creating a sense of belonging and of `ohana among the people living on our site; • Utilization of alternative shelter types that can serve as emergency shelters, as well as permanent housing. • Self-sufficiency for our homeless population is our goal. Once Village 9 opens, the County plans to implement a second assessment center/village in the Hilo/East Hawai'i area. County of Hawaiiis an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. February 2, 2018 Page 2 HB 2461 proposes to have the funding for these villages and centers expended by the State Department of Human Services (DHS). If for any reason DHS is unable or unwilling to take on that task, I would ask you to consider awarding the funds directly to the County of Hawai'i. This project is important enough that I would be pleased to have the County administer its development. My staff would like to suggest some amendments to the original draft of HB 2461. The proposed changes are attached for your easy reference, and if there are any questions, my Homeless Coordinator, Lance Niimi, would be happy to respond. He can be reached at (808) 961-8211 or Lance.Niimi@hawaiicouty.gov. Please help us make this vision of ending homelessness in Hawai'i County a reality by appropriating the requested funds in HB 2461. Respectfully submitted, Harry Kim Mayor, County of Hawai'i County ofHawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. THE SENATE TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 STATE OF HAWAII HB 2461 (Proposed HD 1) A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS FOR HAWAI'I COUNTY: BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII: PART I 1 SECTION 1. The legislature finds that chronic, 2 unsheltered, nomadic homelessness is a humanitarian disaster 3 that endangers public health and safety. The legislature 4 recognizes that multiple national studies show that Housing 5 First programs are enormously effective, mostly because the 6 stability of a permanent home, combined with supportive services 7 and treatment, fosters recovery from addiction, mental illness, 8 and other afflictions. 9 The legislature also finds that for many years, the State 10 used homeless shelters and transitional group homes as an 11 interim measure, while attempting to place as many homeless 12 persons as possible into subsidized rentals and traditionally - 13 constructed apartments under a Housing First paradigm. 14 Unfortunately, economic constraints, construction delays, and 15 landlords' resistance to homeless tenants have made the supply 16 of subsidized rentals and traditionally -constructed housing Page 2 HB2461 1 inadequate. Moreover, many persons who are mentally ill or who 2 struggle with substance abuse cannot live in close quarters with 3 others in a shelter or group home, and thus continue to live 4 unsheltered. 5 The legislature notes that technical innovations now make 6 it possible to build alternative shelter types that could serve 7 as permanent housing (as well as emergency shelters), for a 8 greater number of homeless families and individuals in a shorter 9 period of time than conventional housing. The legislature 10 believes that the best way to achieve this on a scale large 11 enough to end homelessness is to incorporate alternatively 12 constructed homes into villages using Housing First practices. 13 The legislature further finds the County of Hawai'i has already 14 been piloting a county sponsored safe zone known as Camp Kikaha 15 since August of 2017. Larger, more planned sites, in West 16 Hawai'i as well as East Hawai'i, (still to be determined), for 17 which this bill will fund, are currently in the discovery 18 process (East Hawai'i), and the planning and environmental 19 assessment process (West Hawai'i). 20 Accordingly, the purpose of this Act, which shall be known 21 as the "Hawai'i County Homeless Villages and Assessment Center Page 3 HB2461 Act" is to secure the needed funding for establishing two pilot 2 homeless villages, under a Housing First paradigm with an 3 aggregate total of 50 units for pilot project sites in Kona (25 4 homes) and Hilo (25 homes. These two homeless villages will 5 actually be and fulfill the functions of Homeless assessment 6 Centers modeled after the Kakaako Family Assessment Centers on 7 Oahu. The village homes could double as temporary homes for the 8 assessment centers as well as transitional and/or permanent 9 housing as needed. 10 SECTION 2. (a) There is established within the department 11 of human services a Hawai'i County Homeless Villages and 12 Assessment Center program that provides housing and supportive 13 services to homeless persons under a Housing First paradigm. 14 The program shall be operated in a manner that is reasonably 15 consistent with the following requirements: 16 (1) The department shall construct no less than fifty 17 homes, which shall be completed no later than two 18 years after the effective date of this Act, whichever 19 occurs later; 20 (2) The cost to the department to construct each home 21 shall not exceed $15,000 per home (does not include Page 4 HB2461 1 infrastructure installation costs cited later in this 2 bill); 3 (3) Each home shall contain at least three hundred square 4 feet of living space, have electricity with lighting, 5 and have no less than eight standard electrical 6 outlets; 7 (4) Homes shall be private dwellings for homeless 8 individuals and families; provided that homeless 9 persons who are not related shall not be required to 10 share a home; 11 (5) The cost of rent, utilities, and supportive services 12 shall: 13 (A) Be provided free of charge for homeless 14 individuals or families with no income; 15 (B) Not exceed twenty per cent of the individual's 16 gross income for homeless individuals with 17 income; and 18 (C) Not exceed twenty per cent of the family's 19 combined gross income for homeless families with 20 income, less $100 per month for each dependent 21 family member that resides in the home provided Page 5 HB2461 1 that the department may adjust these amounts for 2 inflation; 3 (6) Each village (of 25 homes) shall have a community 4 center for residents, which shall include: 5 (A) A reasonable number of communal showers; 6 (B) Bathrooms; 7 (C) A kitchen; 8 (D) Lockers for residents' valuables; 9 (E) Mailboxes for incoming mail; and 10 (F) A multipurpose room for residential meetings and 11 supportive services; 12 (7) Because this is a demonstration project, different 13 housing types may be experimented with including high 14 grade, fire resistant tents, tiny houses, domes, huts, 15 or other innovative housing types, working within the 16 current proposed budget. Some homes may be 17 constructed with bathrooms showers and kitchens built 18 in to qualify them for housing voucher requirements. 19 (9) The department shall make reasonable efforts to 20 complete this community/Assessment center at a cost of 21 $100,000 or less per village; and Page 6 HB2461 1 (10) Each village shall have systems to dispose of trash 2 and other waste. (11) Each village shall allow residents to keep and have 4 pets, if practical. 5 (12) The department shall establish rules for residents of 6 the villages that are reasonably consistent with what are 7 commonly known as Housing First practices. To the extent 8 possible, the rules shall allow residents to participate in 9 self -governance. 10 (13) The department may designate certain portions of our 11 villages to exclusively or non -exclusively accommodate certain 12 sub -populations of the homeless community, including but not 13 limited to: 14 (A) Severely mentally ill persons; 15 (B) Persons addicted to drugs or alcohol, or 16 (C) Persons who are prone to violence. 17 (14) The department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 18 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, as well as policies and procedures, 19 for the purpose of qualifying applicants for residency under the 20 Hawai'i County Homeless Villages and Assessment Center Program. 21 Qualification rules, policies, and procedures shall be Page 7 HB2461 1 consistent with the rules, policies, and procedures of the 2 United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's 3 Coordinated Entry System. To the extent practicable, the 4 department shall ensure that qualification procedures for 5 residency under the program provide for rapid admission and use 6 the least restrictive standards practicable. 7 (15) The department shall collaborate with appropriate 8 departmental personnel and state and county law enforcement 9 agencies to provide security for the Hawai'i County Homeless 10 Villages Program. 11 (16) The department shall work with appropriate agencies 12 to ensure that residents have reasonable access to public 13 transportation. 14 SECTION 3. All state and county permitting and 15 construction fees shall be waived for the homes and homeless 16 village structures constructed pursuant to this Act. 17 SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general 18 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,187,500 or so much 19 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 to 20 establish the Hawai'i County Homeless Villages and Assessment Page 8 HB2461 1 Center Program and construct 50 homes and physical 2 infrastructure as required by section 2 of this Act. 3 The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of 4 human services for the purposes of this Act. 5 SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the general 6 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,360,000 or so much 7 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 for the 8 management, maintenance, and day-to-day operations of Hawai'i 9 County Homeless Villages and Assessment Center Program 10 established under section 2 of this Act. This amounts to 11 $680,000 (per Homeless Assessment Center) for the operational, 12 management, and maintenance costs for two homeless assessment 13 centers, and the accompanying housing structures. This is based 14 on the Kakaako Family Assessment Center model on Oahu which has 15 had an impressive 91% housing placement rate, with families 16 moving from intake to housing placement in an average of 81 17 days. As we move forward, the plan would be to involve the 18 existing service providers to take on a greater role in 19 sustaining and/or reducing the cost of operations of the Centers 20 after the first year of operation. Page 9 HB2461 1 The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of 2 human services for the purposes of this Act. 3 PART II 4 SECTION 6. Chapter 662, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is 5 amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated 6 and to read as follows: 7 "§662- Limited liability for providing services to 8 individuals experiencing homelessness. No public entity or 9 public employee shall be liable to any person for injury or 10 damage caused by a public employee providing services to 11 individuals experiencing homelessness; provided that the 12 employee was acting in good faith and within the scope of the 13 employee's functions and duties as an employee of the State." 14 SECTION 7. Chapter 662D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is 15 amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated 16 and to read as follows: 17 "§662D- Limited liability for volunteers for the 18 government entity providing services to individuals experiencing 19 homelessness. (a)No volunteer for a governmental entity shall 20 be liable to any person for injury or damage caused by a 21 volunteer providing services to individuals experiencing Page 10 HB2461 1 homelessness; provided that the volunteer was acting in good 2 faith and within the scope of the volunteer's functions and 3 duties. (b) No nonprofit organization or nonprofit corporation 4 that provides volunteers to a governmental entity providing 5 services to individuals experiencing homelessness shall be 6 liable to any person for injury or damage caused by the 7 volunteer: provided that the volunteer was acting in good faith 8 and within the scope of the volunteer's functions and duties." 9 10 SECTION 8. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2018. 11 INTRODUCED BY: HB2461 Report Title: Hawai'i County Homeless Villages and Assessment Center Program; Homelessness; Department of Human Services; Appropriation; Limitation on Liability Description: Establishes within DHS a Hawai'i County Homeless Villages and Assessment Center Program. Waives applicable state and county permitting and construction fees. Appropriates funds. Provides limitation on liability for government entity and volunteers providing services. The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.