THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	187
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

urging the county police departments and the state to take action to deter homeless individuals from returning to public areas after sweeps for at least thirty days.

WHEREAS, many believe that homeless sweeps have failed to address the root causes of the problem; and

WHEREAS, sweeps, which are conducted by the Honolulu Police Department, county, and state clean-up teams, and other officials, target the many homeless encampments in the State to enforce park closure laws and try to force people into shelters; and

WHEREAS, critics say homeless sweeps simply move homeless around local communities; and

WHEREAS, some law enforcement officers estimate that the vast majority of homeless people refuse to go to a shelter or receive services; and

WHEREAS, many believe sweeps are expensive, using money that could be better spent actually helping people; and

WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court is set to hear a major case regarding homelessness in April 2024, which could have major implications for cities as homelessness nationwide has reached record highs; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement officials have proposed that if after a sweep, prohibiting anyone who received a citation from being allowed to return for at least thirty days would make parks more manageable for at least thirty days; and

WHEREAS, the hope is that within those thirty days those individuals will realize that they cannot go back to what they feel most comfortable with and will need to either get help or move on; and

WHEREAS, although many homeless individuals will simply find somewhere else, eventually many will be restricted from returning to many of the parks in a certain area and will have no choice but to seek assistance; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the county police departments and the State are urged to take action to deter homeless individuals from returning to public areas for at least thirty days following a sweep; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, Attorney General, Director of Law Enforcement, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, State Public Defender, each county prosecutor, police chief of each county police department, director of each county's Department of Parks and Recreation, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, and Executive Director of Partners in Care.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Homelessness; Encampments; Sweeps; Prohibition