STAND. COM. REP. NO. 465-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1834

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health & Homelessness and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1834 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to increase the Department of Human Services' Homeless Programs Office's base budget.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness; Department of Human Services; Department of Land and Natural Resources; State Health Planning and Development Agency; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; The Institute for Human Services, Inc.; Partners In Care; Hawai‘i True Cost Coalition; Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi; Hawai‘i Youth Services Network; Dynamic Healing Center; Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice; Kealahou West Oahu; Community Alliance Partners; LGF Consulting Hawai‘i; Aloha United Way; Hope Services Hawaiʻi; and four individuals.

Your Committees find that homelessness has and continues to remain a persistent problem in the State. Your Committees further find that operating costs for homeless service providers have increased dramatically since 2016. However, despite these rising costs, there has been no increase in the Department of Human Services' homeless services contracts, leaving many service providers unable to cover the true costs of their services. This measure is intended to increase the base budget for the Department of Human Services' Homeless Programs Office's homeless services contracts to ensure homeless service providers are able to continue to provide services to the State's homeless population.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committees note that the executive budget includes a request for $1,320,000, which represents a five percent increase in funding for homeless services contracts. Your Committees further note the testimony of the Department of Human Services received by your Committees stating that an increase of twenty percent, or $5,285,123, would better reflect increases in operating costs for providers over the past nine years. Your Committees agree with the Department of Human Services that because of the ongoing need to address homelessness in the State, any increase in funding for homeless services contracts should be recurring, rather than a single year appropriation. Therefore, your Committees respectfully request your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider including a twenty percent increase in funding for homeless services contracts as part of the executive budget.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health & Homelessness and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1834, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1834, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health & Homelessness and Human Services,

____________________________ LISA MARTEN, Chair

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair