Hawaii legislative leaders promised in January that affordable housing and homelessness would top their priority list for the 2018 session.
As the session nears its May 3 conclusion, those promises appear to have been largely met.
On Friday lawmakers announced they would appropriate $30 million to construct “ohana zones.” They are also known as “safe zones,” essentially legal homeless encampments providing temporary shelter and services.
Senate Bill 2401 still faces floor votes next week, but its passage is virtually assured.
House Majority Leader Della Au Belatti speaks at a press conference following the announcement of $30 million dedicated to “ohana zones.” She is flanked by Sen. Josh Green and Rep. Tom Brower at left, and Rep. John Mizuno and Sen. Will Espero at right.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Under the legislation, the governor’s administration will be tasked with directing agencies to design, construct and service six centers — three on Oahu and one each on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.
While each island has unique needs, House Majority Leader Della Au Belatti said Kahauiki Villages, a recently built affordable plantation-style complex for homeless families near the Honolulu airport, can serve as a model.
Legislators acknowledged that Gov. David Ige has been skeptical of safe zones being the best route to permanent housing. But Belatti said the plan would provide flexibility to the administration and county leaders.
Combined with money for a variety of other programs designed to help Hawaii’s estimated 7,000-plus sheltered and unsheltered homeless people across the state, the total figure for homeless expenditures exceeds $50 million.
Friday’s news follows the appropriation by the Legislature earlier this week of more than $200 million into the rental housing trust fund, which more than doubles its current budget to build more units.
Along with more than $300 million in additional housing-related funding increases and tax exemptions, the expectation is that there will be 25,000 new affordable rental housing units by 2030.
Lawmakers say they are under no illusion that they are solving the dual challenge of homelessness and affordable housing in a state that is arguably the most expensive in the nation.
But the hope is, as state Sen. Josh Green put it at the press conference, that the state is moving toward “the beginning of the end of the crisis.”
This is a developing story. Watch Civil Beat for updates.
Join the conversation in-person at Civil Beat’s upcoming Civil Cafe event, “Legislative Wrap-up 2018,” on Wednesday, May 2, at noon at the Capitol. Go to our RSVP page to register and get more information.
Thoughts on this or any other story? Write a Letter to the Editor. Send to news@civilbeat.org and put Letter in the subject line. 200 words max. You need to use your name and city and include a contact phone for verification purposes. And you can still comment on stories on our Facebook page.
The post Hawaii Lawmakers Want To Spend $30M On Legal Homeless Encampments appeared first on Honolulu Civil Beat.