STAND. COM. REP. NO. 525-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2167

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Human Services & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 2167 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO YOUTH HOMELESSNESS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Office of Youth Services to establish a two-year Youth Housing Stability Assistance Pilot Program to award funds to certain nonprofit organizations and government agencies to support eligible youth with financial assistance.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Public Defender; HI H.O.P.E.S. Initiative; Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network Speaks!; Opportunity for Youth Action Hawaiʻi; Hawaii Youth Services Network; Oʻahu Youth Action Board; Point Source Youth; CARES; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Youth Services; State Procurement Office; and Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions.

Your Committee finds that young adults face heightened risks of homelessness due to developmental, financial, and social vulnerabilities, which are intensified by Hawaii's high cost of living. Your Committee further finds that providing timely, flexible financial assistance can stabilize youth experiencing housing crises and prevent deeper involvement with emergency shelters and social‑service systems.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the term of the pilot program to from two years to five years;

(2) Clarifying that the age range of eligibility for the pilot program is for individuals between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four years;

(3) Specifying that the Office of Youth Services shall enter into contracts with nonprofit organizations, or execute memoranda of agreements with governmental agencies, rather than award funds to nonprofit organizations;

(4) Clarifying that assistance payments are to be limited to the amount necessary, as determined on a case-by-case basis, and adjusted to avoid duplication;

(5) Specifying that funds are to be paid directly to a landlord, mortgagee, or utility, including an internet service provider;

(6) Removing the time requirement for the disbursement of funds and specifying that funds shall not jeopardize eligibility for other benefits;

(7) Clarifying that housing conversation planning and assessments are to be completed with a case manager or housing counselor;

(8) Specifying that youth experiencing a housing crisis shall participate in ongoing counseling or case management services; and

(9) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2167, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2167, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services & Homelessness,

____________________________

LISA MARTEN, Chair