Bill Text: HI SR178 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging The Governor's Coordinator On Homelessness To Include A Representative From A Lgbtq+-focused Nonprofit Organization In The Membership Of The Hawaii Interagency Council On Homelessness To Address The Specific Needs Of Lgbtq+ Youth Across The State.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-23 - The committee on HMS deferred the measure. [SR178 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2021-SR178-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	178
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the governor's coordinator on homelessness to include a representative from a LGBTQ+-focused nonprofit organization in the membership of THE HAWAII INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS to address the specific needs of LGBTQ+ youth across the State.

 

 

     WHEREAS, homelessness continues to be a significant issue throughout the State and an estimated fifteen thousand individuals are reported to be homeless; and

 

     WHEREAS, in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the number of homeless individuals is expected to increase across the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, homelessness disproportionately impacts LGBTQ+ youth throughout the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, LGBTQ+ youth are more than twice as likely to experience homelessness than other children and it is estimated that forty percent of homeless youth are LGBTQ+, most often due to familial rejection; and

 

     WHEREAS, without targeted support services, LGBTQ+ youth face social stigma and discrimination, which contributes to the physical and mental strains and challenges with which they struggle; and

 

     WHEREAS, LGBTQ+ youth are often at a heightened risk of violence, abuse, and exploitation compared to their heterosexual peers; and

 

     WHEREAS, homelessness is a crisis that necessitates increased collaboration and planning between the State, counties, neighborhood boards, and nonprofit organizations and those plans should address the specific needs of LGBTQ+ youth; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness was created to assure that a broad interagency, interdisciplinary, and community-based approach is brought to bear to reduce and end homelessness in Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, despite the disproportionate impact of homelessness on LGBTQ+ youth, the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness fails to include a representative from a LGBTQ+ non-profit organization in its membership and therefore cannot adequately address the specific needs of homeless LGBTQ+ youth; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, that the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, as Chairperson of the Hawaii Interagency Council of Homelessness, is urged to include a representative from a LGBTQ+-focused nonprofit organization as a member of the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness to assist in developing an approach to ending homelessness that addresses the specific needs of LGBTQ+ youth across the State; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness is requested to reach out to various organizations throughout the State that provide targeted outreach services that meet the specific needs of LGBTQ+ youth; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness; Needs of LGBTQ+ Youth