Bill Text: HI SR52 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Homelessness; Parking Lot Use at Night

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-04-13 - (S) The committee on WAM deferred the measure. [SR52 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2011-SR52-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	52
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING departments and OTHER agencies of the STATE AND the CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU TO DESIGNATE GOVERNMENT PARKING LOTS FOR USE AT NIGHT BY THE HOMELESS who own vehicles and sleep in their vehicles.

 

 

     WHEREAS, as a result of the depressed economy, in the last few years the State of Hawaii and the City and County of Honolulu have experienced increasing numbers of homeless persons in Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, while homelessness is an issue that cuts across cultural lines, the primary common denominator in the plight of the homeless is the lack of affordable housing; and

 

     WHEREAS, there are many circumstances that drive people out of their homes, such as substance abuse, serious health problems, mental health conditions, war veterans, foster youths who have aged out of the system but are not yet ready to be on their own, in-migration from the mainland, and for many the inability to earn enough money to pay rent; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the Homeless Service Utilization Report prepared by the Center on the Family at the University of Hawaii and the Homeless Programs Office of the Department of Human Services, for 2010 there were 11,101 homeless persons on Oahu and 15,604 statewide; and

 

     WHEREAS, the actual number of homeless persons is higher than these unofficial counts, as providers of homeless services who do not receive state funding are not required to report the numbers of their clients; and

 

     WHEREAS, children and youth comprise thirty-five percent of the homeless population who live in shelters and ten percent of those who do not live in shelters; and

 

     WHEREAS, among those who live in shelters, forty-three percent have children, and of these, seventy-six percent are families led by their mothers; and among those who do not live in shelters, twenty-one percent have children, and of these, sixty-two percent are families led by their mothers; and

 

     WHEREAS, thirty-five percent of those who live in shelters and forty-two percent of those who live on the streets have been homeless between one and eleven months; and

 

     WHEREAS, many homeless persons sleep in their cars wherever they can find a safe place to park their car; and

 

     WHEREAS, state and municipal parking lots are largely empty during night hours, the time when the homeless need a place to sleep; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, that departments and other agencies of the State and the City and County of Honolulu are requested to designate government parking lots for use by homeless persons who own their own vehicles and sleep in the vehicles, between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the parking lots of the Department of Education parking structure at the corner of Vineyard Boulevard and Punchbowl Street, and at the Aloha Stadium be designated for use between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. by homeless persons who own their own vehicles; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that toilet facilities and security be provided by the State and the City and County of Honolulu, or other stakeholders, at designated sites between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, and each department head of the State and the City and County of Honolulu.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Homelessness; Parking Lot Use at Night