Hawaii-2016-SB120-Amended

PART I

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that affordable housing is a serious concern for many Hawaii residents. According to the 2011 Hawaii housing planning study, up to 50,000 new housing units will need to be built by 2016 to meet the new demand generated by changing demographics and economic conditions. Failure to produce sufficient units for low- and moderate-income households will cause pent-up demand in these market segments.

The legislature also finds that according to the Hawaii public housing authority annual report for fiscal year 2014, the Hawaii public housing authority's fifty-year-old public housing stock is in need of repairs, with a backlog estimated at $754,000,000.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to various housing agencies to increase the supply of affordable and public housing units in the State and to support the State's housing first programs in assisting Hawaii's chronically homeless who are often the most vulnerable, most visible, and most difficult to serve.

PART II

SECTION 2. The director of finance is authorized to issue general obligation bonds in the sum of $100,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary is appropriated for fiscal year 2015-2016 for deposit into the rental housing trust fund established pursuant to section 201H-202, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the rental housing trust fund the sum of $100,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015-2016 for the purposes set forth in section 201H-202, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii housing finance and development corporation for the purposes of this part.

PART III

SECTION 4. The director of finance is authorized to issue general obligation bonds in the sum of $20,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary is appropriated for fiscal year 2015-2016 to be deposited into the dwelling unit revolving fund established pursuant to section 201H-191, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the dwelling unit revolving fund the sum of $20,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015-2016 for the development of infrastructure and improvements of on-site and off-site development.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii housing finance and development corporation for the purposes of this part.

PART IV

SECTION 6. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $15,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015-2016 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 for the construction of micro apartment housing units.

For the purposes of this part, "micro apartment housing unit" means a dwelling unit with a total floor area of not less than two hundred twenty square feet, and not more than three hundred twenty square feet for not more than two occupants, and containing a separate closet, kitchen sink, cooking appliance, refrigeration facilities, and separate bathroom containing a toilet and a bathtub or shower. The minimum and maximum total floor area shall increase an additional one hundred square feet for each occupant in excess of two.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii housing finance and development corporation for the purposes of this part.

PART V

SECTION 7. The legislature finds that housing first programs are a collaborative effort between the department of human services and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development that provides housing and support services for the chronically homeless, including those who have an addiction or mental illness, or both. The principles of housing first programs include:

(1) Moving the chronically homeless into housing directly from streets and the shelters without a precondition of accepting or complying with treatment;

(2) Providing robust support services for program participants that are predicated on assertive engagement rather than coercion;

(3) Granting the chronically homeless priority as program participants in housing first programs;

(4) Embracing a harm-reduction approach to addictions rather than mandating abstinence while supporting program participant commitments to recovery; and

(5) Providing program participants with leases and tenant protections as provided by law.

The housing first programs in the State closely resemble the requirements of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development shelter plus care program and the Veterans Administration veteran's assisted supportive housing voucher program for homeless veterans. In its December 2011 report to the legislature pursuant to section 346-378, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the department of human services reported that the State has six hundred fifty-eight permanent housing placements plus support services through the shelter plus care and veteran's assisted supportive housing voucher programs.

The purpose of this part is to appropriate funds to the department of human services to support the State's housing first programs in assisting Hawaii's chronically homeless who are often the most vulnerable, most visible, and most difficult to serve.

SECTION 8. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $3,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015-2016 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 to be deposited to the credit of the housing first special fund established under section 346-377, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

SECTION 9. There is appropriated out of the housing first special fund the sum of $3,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015-2016 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 for the department of human services to continue to administer housing first programs for chronically homeless in the State.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services for the purposes of this part.

PART VI

SECTION 10. The appropriations made in parts II and III of this Act shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal biennium for which the appropriation is made; provided that all moneys from the appropriation unencumbered as of June 30, 2018, shall lapse as of that date.

SECTION 11. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2015.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	120
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII