Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

Hawaii House Bill HB1489 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B. NO. 1489 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to homelessness. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
2	2
3	3	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B. NO. 1489
4	4	THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
5	5	STATE OF HAWAII
6	6
7	7	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8	8
9	9	H.B. NO.
10	10
11	11	1489
12	12
13	13	THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
14	14
15	15
16	16
17	17	STATE OF HAWAII
18	18
19	19
20	20
21	21
22	22
23	23
24	24
25	25
26	26
27	27
28	28
29	29
30	30
31	31	A BILL FOR AN ACT
32	32
33	33
34	34
35	35
36	36
37	37	relating to homelessness.
38	38
39	39
40	40
41	41
42	42
43	43	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
44	44
45	45
46	46
47	47	SECTION 1. The legislature finds that homelessness remains one of Hawaii's most pressing challenges, requiring a comprehensive, long-term solution to address the State's affordable housing and homelessness crisis. Hawaii currently has one of the highest per capita homelessness rates in the nation. Over the past five decades, the proportion of cost-burdened renters - those paying more than thirty per cent of their income for housing - has grown from less than twenty-five per cent to over fifty per cent of the population. These escalating housing costs have forced an increasing number of Hawaii residents into homelessness. The legislature further finds that the State has maintained base funding through the department of human services' homeless programs office to support essential services, including emergency and transitional shelters, housing placement programs, state homeless emergency grants, and limited outreach services. Beyond this base funding, the State has consistently appropriated an additional $10,800,000 annually for nearly a decade to support critical services, including further homeless outreach, legal assistance, rapid re-housing, family assessment centers, and the housing first program. These evidence-based interventions targeting the most vulnerable populations have proven both effective and cost-efficient. The legislature also finds that these strategic investments have begun to yield positive results in addressing the homelessness crisis. Across the State, the rate of homelessness has declined since 2016, correlating with increased use of homeless services programs within the same time frame. However, more recent data indicates homelessness rates have crept up again since 2023 and, thus, demonstrate a need to continue to expand services. The legislature finds that sustained funding for these services that are currently operating outside the base budget of the homeless programs office are essential for program continuity and participant stability. Without dedicated funding, these vital programs face annual uncertainty and risk services being cut or eliminated, which could force individuals and families to regress back into homelessness. Addressing Hawaii's fifty-year trajectory of housing and homelessness challenges requires consistent, long-term investment. While the State has made significant commitments, such as the annual $50,000,000 allocation for kauhale development, these initiatives alone cannot address the full spectrum of needs, as these funds do not assist in the broader homeless support services that get families into the systems that connect them to programs such as the kauhale initiative. Securing dedicated funding for these support systems, which serve the entire continuum of care, is imperative; yet these services remain outside the homeless programs base budget. The purpose of this Act is to establish sustainable funding for core homelessness services that currently operate without base budget support from the homeless programs office. SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $10,800,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the department of human services to fund and administer core homelessness services in the State; provided that the sums appropriated shall be expended as follows: (1) $3,750,000 for the housing first program; (2) $3,750,000 for the rapid re-housing program; (3) $1,550,000 for family assessment centers; and (4) $1,750,000 for homeless outreach and civil legal services. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services for the purposes of this Act. SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
48	48
49	49	SECTION 1. The legislature finds that homelessness remains one of Hawaii's most pressing challenges, requiring a comprehensive, long-term solution to address the State's affordable housing and homelessness crisis. Hawaii currently has one of the highest per capita homelessness rates in the nation.
50	50
51	51	Over the past five decades, the proportion of cost-burdened renters - those paying more than thirty per cent of their income for housing - has grown from less than twenty-five per cent to over fifty per cent of the population. These escalating housing costs have forced an increasing number of Hawaii residents into homelessness.
52	52
53	53	The legislature further finds that the State has maintained base funding through the department of human services' homeless programs office to support essential services, including emergency and transitional shelters, housing placement programs, state homeless emergency grants, and limited outreach services. Beyond this base funding, the State has consistently appropriated an additional $10,800,000 annually for nearly a decade to support critical services, including further homeless outreach, legal assistance, rapid re-housing, family assessment centers, and the housing first program. These evidence-based interventions targeting the most vulnerable populations have proven both effective and cost-efficient.
54	54
55	55	The legislature also finds that these strategic investments have begun to yield positive results in addressing the homelessness crisis. Across the State, the rate of homelessness has declined since 2016, correlating with increased use of homeless services programs within the same time frame. However, more recent data indicates homelessness rates have crept up again since 2023 and, thus, demonstrate a need to continue to expand services.
56	56
57	57	The legislature finds that sustained funding for these services that are currently operating outside the base budget of the homeless programs office are essential for program continuity and participant stability. Without dedicated funding, these vital programs face annual uncertainty and risk services being cut or eliminated, which could force individuals and families to regress back into homelessness. Addressing Hawaii's fifty-year trajectory of housing and homelessness challenges requires consistent, long-term investment. While the State has made significant commitments, such as the annual $50,000,000 allocation for kauhale development, these initiatives alone cannot address the full spectrum of needs, as these funds do not assist in the broader homeless support services that get families into the systems that connect them to programs such as the kauhale initiative. Securing dedicated funding for these support systems, which serve the entire continuum of care, is imperative; yet these services remain outside the homeless programs base budget.
58	58
59	59	The purpose of this Act is to establish sustainable funding for core homelessness services that currently operate without base budget support from the homeless programs office.
60	60
61	61	SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $10,800,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the department of human services to fund and administer core homelessness services in the State; provided that the sums appropriated shall be expended as follows:
62	62
63	63	(1) $3,750,000 for the housing first program;
64	64
65	65	(2) $3,750,000 for the rapid re-housing program;
66	66
67	67	(3) $1,550,000 for family assessment centers; and
68	68
69	69	(4) $1,750,000 for homeless outreach and civil legal services.
70	70
71	71	The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services for the purposes of this Act.
72	72
73	73	SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.
74	74
75	75
76	76
77	77	INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
78	78
79	79	INTRODUCED BY:
80	80
81	81	_____________________________
82	82
83	83
84	84
85	85
86	86
87	87	Report Title: Homelessness; Services; Department of Human Services; Appropriation Description: Appropriates funds for the Department of Human Services to fund and administer core homelessness services. The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
88	88
89	89
90	90
91	91
92	92
93	93	Report Title:
94	94
95	95	Homelessness; Services; Department of Human Services; Appropriation
96	96
97	97
98	98
99	99	Description:
100	100
101	101	Appropriates funds for the Department of Human Services to fund and administer core homelessness services.
102	102
103	103
104	104
105	105
106	106
107	107
108	108
109	109	The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.