THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
3018 |
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS.
BE IT
ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
PART I
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that homelessness continues
to be one of Hawaii's most dire and persistent challenges. The legislature further finds that the solution
to homelessness lies in the creation of homes that are affordable, even to individuals
with very little income. However, three of
the biggest barriers to creating truly affordable housing for those most in need
are the high cost of construction per unit of housing; a long and unpredictable
planning and permitting process that adds risk and costs for developers; and opponents
to housing projects that use the difficult planning and permitting process to block
unwanted projects.
Despite these obstacles, Hawaii has unique advantages
that it can draw upon to end homelessness, particularly its strong sense of family
and community. Many people experiencing homelessness
build a community with each other where they can and are accustomed to operating
like a village, relying on each other for safety and support. These supportive networks can be leveraged to create
village-style affordable housing, or kauhale, that is less costly to construct and
operate. Expediting the creation of such
kauhale, either through new construction or adaptive re-use of existing buildings,
can help bring an end to Hawaii's homeless crisis.
The purpose of this Act is to:
(1) Establish a kauhale program under the Hawaii public housing authority to provide housing and services to homeless individuals; and
(2) Provide continued exemptions for low-income rentals, tiny homes, and kauhale constructed pursuant to the governor's 2015 and 2018 proclamations on homelessness.
PART II
SECTION 2. Chapter 356D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§356D- Kauhale
program; established. (a) There is established the kauhale program under
the authority to provide individual or shared micro housing units and services
to homeless individuals and families who meet the definition of homeless, as defined
by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(b) The authority shall cooperate with any state departments
or agencies and private nonprofit organizations as needed to expedite the
development and operation of housing under the kauhale program, including agencies
with specific expertise in construction development and agencies with specific expertise
in administering homeless services. The authority
shall construct kauhale
across the State, which shall be situated on public or private lands in
accordance with subsection (c); provided that the authority shall identify at least
three sites on Oahu and one site on each of the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, and
Maui for a kauhale.
(c) The authority may coordinate with public or
private entities, as appropriate, to develop and implement the kauhale program;
provided that:
(1) If any public
land under the jurisdiction of a state or county agency is determined to be suitable
for use as a kauhale, the authority shall:
(A) Work with the appropriate state
or county agency that controls the land to transfer the land designated for use
as a kauhale to an agency or nonprofit whose mission is more suited to the management
of housing individuals who meet the definition of chronically homeless persons;
and
(B) Work
with the appropriate state or county agency that controls the land and its
construction agency to ensure that the kauhale's infrastructure needs are met
and minimize adverse impacts to the environment, including nearshore resources
such as corals, reef fish, and seabirds;
(2) Use of any
private lands determined to be suitable for use as a kauhale shall be for
limited purposes and require a written agreement between the private land owner; provided that the
private land owner shall ensure the private lands shall be used for affordable housing
in perpetuity through a deed restriction, easement, or other legally binding measure;
and
(3) The kauhale communities
may allow for off-the-grid technologies that can provide drinking water, electricity,
and process sewage without existing infrastructure.
(d) The kauhale program may provide the following
facilities and services at each site:
(1) Secure dwelling
spaces that:
(A) May
be private or communal;
(B) Are
designed aesthetically and constructed of quality materials;
(C) Have access to toilets, showers, and other hygiene
facilities;
(D) Have
access to adequate facilities that allow for cooking and meal preparation;
(E) Have
common spaces that build community and encourage sustainability; and
(F) Include living units; provided that the
size of a unit in the kauhale shall not exceed five hundred square feet with livable
space not to exceed two hundred square feet but at least one hundred twenty square
feet of net interior for the purposes of keeping cost low;
(2) Medical and social
support services; and
(3) Transportation
to appointments related to medical care or supportive services that are not available
onsite.
(e) The construction of living units pursuant to section
(d)(1)(F) shall be exempt from the requirements of chapter 46, to the extent
that any county ordinance, rule, regulation, law, or provision that applies to
any county permitting, licensing, zoning, variance, processes, procedures,
fees, or any other requirements that hinder, delay, or impede the purposes of
this section; provided that:
(1) All construction
shall conform to drawings and plans stamped by licensed architects and engineers;
(2) Stamped drawings
and plans shall be submitted to the appropriate county planning and permitting departments
for informational purposes;
(3) Submitted plans
shall list any deviations from existing county building codes; and
(4) No deviations from
any county building codes that relate to life safety shall be allowed.
(f) The authority may employ persons for the kauhale
program who are exempt from chapters 89 and 89C.
(g) Any appropriations by the legislature for the kauhale
program shall be exempt from sections 37-41.
(h) The state historic preservation division shall
prioritize the review of projects under the kauhale program and shall complete its
review of the projects within forty-five days of initiating the review. If a review of a project under the kauhale program
is not completed by the state historic preservation division within forty-five days
of the division initiating its review, the project shall be exempt from chapter
6E; provided that the developer for the project shall commission historical, cultural,
and archaeological background research and a field inspection report by a licensed
archaeologist; provided further that the report shall:
(1) Define the likelihood
that historic or cultural assets may be affected by the project;
(2) Make cultural resource
management recommendations if historical or cultural assets are likely to be affected
by the project; and
(3) Shall be submitted
to the state historic preservation division for informational purposes.
(i) Projects shall be exempt from the land use requirements
under chapter 205; provided that the site plan for the development of a project
shall include measures to conform with the purposes of the original classification
of the land on which the project is to be built.
(j) The kauhale program shall be exempt from the requirements
of chapters 206E and 346, and sections 102-2, 103‑53, 103-55, 105-1 to 105-10,
and 464-4.
(k)
The authority shall establish the following:
(1) The criteria
that the authority will use to evaluate potential kauhale locations;
(2) A monthly
timetable of milestones that the authority expects to meet in establishing the kauhale;
(3) The specific,
measurable, attainable, reasonable, and time-based performance measures that
the authority expects to meet at the end of each fiscal year;
(4) The evaluation
criteria and process that the authority intends to use each year when reviewing
the success and sustainability of the kauhale; and
(5) The monitoring
and oversight controls that the authority will have over the kauhale to
identify, address, and prevent possible fraud, waste, and abuse and ensure
compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
(l) There is established a community
advisory committee for the kauhale program to advise and assist the authority, which
shall comprise the following members appointed by the governor in the manner provided
in section 26-34:
(1) Two
nonprofit developers of affordable housing;
(2) Two
nonprofit homeless services providers;
(3) One
representative of Partners in Care;
(4) One
representative of Bridging the Gap Hawaii; and
(5) Two
individuals who are currently experiencing or have experienced homelessness within
twenty-four months prior to appointment.
(m)
The authority shall submit reports to the legislature no later than
twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session, beginning with the regular
session of 2023.
(n)
The report submitted no later than twenty days prior to the convening of
the regular session of 2023 shall include the following information:
(1) A summary and
explanation of the process that the authority engaged in to identify possible kauhale
locations; and
(2) A summary of
the information required under subsection (k).
(o)
The reports submitted no later than twenty days prior to the convening
of each regular session following the regular session of 2023 shall include the
following information:
(1) The milestones
established pursuant to subsection (n) that were met by the authority and kauhale
established during the fiscal year;
(2) An evaluation
of the kauhale to determine whether the objectives set have been met or
exceeded;
(3) Any proposed
changes that need to be made to the performance measures used to assess the achievement
of the kauhale program goals; and
(4) An assessment of
the impact of the kauhale model on the homelessness problem in the State.
(p) The authority shall consult with the department
of human services and department of health to administer the kauhale program pursuant
to this section.
(q) As used in this section, "kauhale" means
individual or shared micro housing units and services to homeless individuals
and families who meet the definition of chronically homeless, as defined by the
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development."
Part III
SECTION 3. All low-income rentals, tiny home villages, or kauhale built on state land pursuant to the governor's 2015 and 2018 proclamations on homelessness shall be exempt for the duration of the underlying lease from the following provisions of the Hawaii Revised Statutes; provided that the permanent housing created under the governor's proclamations on homelessness shall be safe, sanitary, and suitable for human habitation:
(1) Chapter 6E, historic preservation;
(2) Section 37-41, appropriations to revert to state treasury;
(3) Section 37-74(d), program execution, except for sections 37-74(d)(2) and 37-74(d)(3), and any such transfers or changes shall be considered authorized transfers or changes for purposes of section 34‑74(d)(1) for legislative reporting requirements;
(4) Section 40-66, lapsing of appropriations;
(5) Chapter 46, county organization and administration as any county ordinance, rule, regulation, law, or provision in any form applies to any county permitting, licensing, zoning, variance, processes, procedures, fees, or any other requirements that hinder, delay, or impede the purpose of this Act;
(6) Chapter 89, collective bargaining in public employment;
(7) Chapter 89C, public officers and employees excluded from collective bargaining;
(8) Chapter 92, public agency meetings and records, to the extent that any notice requirements or any other provisions of chapter 92 may delay the expeditious action, decision, or approval of any agency;
(9) Section 102-2, contracts for concessions in government buildings; bid requirements;
(10) Section 103-2, general fund;
(11) Section 103-53, contracts with the State or counties; tax clearances, assignments;
(12) Section 103-55, wages, hours, and working conditions of employees of contractors performing services;
(13) Chapter 103D, Hawaii public procurement code;
(14) Chapter 103F, purchases of health and human services;
(15) Chapter 104, wages and hours of employees on public works;
(16) Sections 105-1 to 105-10, use of government vehicles, limitations;
(17) Section 127A-30, rental or sale of essential commodities during a state of emergency; prohibition against price increases;
(18) Chapter 171, public lands;
(19) Chapter 205, land use commission;
(20) Chapter 205A, coastal zone management;
(21) Chapter 206E, Hawaii community development authority;
(22) Chapter 343, environmental impact statements;
(23) Chapter 346, social services;
(24) Section 464-4, public works required to be supervised by certain professionals; and
(25) Sections 601-1.5, 708-817, 708-818, 708-820, 708‑830.5, and 708-840, to the extent that these sections contain provisions for the suspension, tolling, extension, or granting of relief from deadlines, time schedules, or filing requirements in civil, criminal, or administrative matters before the courts of the State or to the extent that these sections contain provisions for criminal penalties that are automatically heightened by reason of any declared disaster or emergency.
PART IV
SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2022-2023 to establish and administer the kauhale program pursuant to part II of this Act.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii public housing authority.
SECTION 5. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.
Report Title:
Homelessness; Housing; Services; Kauhale Program; Hawaii Public Housing Authority; Appropriation
Description:
Requires the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, in consultation with the Department of Health and Department of Human Services to establish the kauhale program to provide individual or shared micro housing units and services to homeless individuals and families who meet the definition of homeless. Establishes an advisory committee. Requires reports to the Legislature. Exempts existing low-income rentals, tiny home villages, and kauhale from certain provisions for the duration of their underlying leases consistent with the Governor's 2015 and 2018 proclamations on homelessness. Appropriates funds. Effective 1/1/2050. (SD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.