House Standing Committee on Human Services & Homelessness

Good morning, everybody. We are here Thursday, February 6, 2025, 10:00 AM in conference room 329 at the State Capitol for the Committee on Human Services and Homelessness hearing. My name is Lisa Martin. I'm here with my Vice Chair Ikaika Olds. And we will have our members trickling in, no doubt.

We're going to go to the first item on the agenda, which is HB 244 relating to the Department of Human Services. It appropriates funds for the Department of Human Services to collaborate with community based organizations to address the need for social services in the state, sometimes called the Fair Cost Coalition.

And first up, we have the Department of Human Services with comments. We have multiple representatives from the Department of Human Services.

That's because of the importance of the Bill.

Yeah.

Good morning, Chair, Vice Chair. Well, committee members, if they're watching online, Joseph Campos, Deputy Director, Department of Human Services here on behalf of Director Yamane. The Department stands on its written testimony providing comments as well as seeking clarification.

You know, because the language of the bill is rather broad, we wanted to find out if there are specific community based organizations that you want the funding to go to or if it'll be just enough to cover what the True Cost Coalition has stated is the necessity. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you for your testimony. Next up, we have in person the Community Alliance on Prisons. Kat, are you here? Yep.

Good morning, Chair Martin, Vice Chair Olds and Representative.

Amato?

Terez. Kat Brady testifying in strong support of this measure. You know, we have, Hawaii has some of the most amazing service providers who do this because they love the work and they love our community, but they haven't gotten a raise for a long time.

And one of the problems is that when they do the work, getting reimbursed is really difficult. And this is real hard for a non profit. We don't, we can't just go get a loan and pay off. So I think it's really important that the legislature understands the work of the nonprofits because without that we would have, I would have more clients. So thank you so much for supporting this.

Thanks for being here today. Next up, we have parents and children together. Trisha.

Good morning, Chair Martin, Vice Chair Olds and committee, my name is Trisha Kajimura, on behalf of Parents And Children Together. I really want to thank you for hearing this bill giving us the opportunity to talk about this important issue. For PACT It's our highest priority.

Our programs that we are so important to us and the communities that we serve are really struggling with funding and we want to serve them and meet all of their needs while fitting the financial pieces together.

So we are trying not to reach a breaking point, but I think there is a crisis happening amongst providers when it comes to funding. And so we're just really seeking your assistance this year. We can't wait another year. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have Aloha Care.

Hello. Good morning, Chair, Vice Chair and Representative Amato. I'm Sarielyn Curtis testifying on behalf of Aloha Care in strong support of this measure. And we stand on our written testimony and are here for questions. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have Child & Family Service. Lori Lum.

Good morning, Chair and committee members. Lori Lum, On behalf of Child & Family Service. We echo the comments of the other of the previous testifiers in strong support of this bill. For 125 years, Child & Family Service has been providing family strengthening services from Keiki to Kupuna, or as some of us say, from Twinkle to Wrinkle.

And there has been a rising demand in service, increased operational costs, and basically it's hard for everyone because the contract rates haven't been able to, haven't been increased in years. And so we have done our best to try to fill that gap with our own fundraising efforts. But moving this Bill forward would greatly help all of us. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have on zoom, Hawaii Youth Services Network. Is Judy here?

I am. Aloha Chair, members of the committee, I'm Judith Clark, Executive Director of Hawaii Youth Services Network, in strong support of this bill. The most recent ALICE report by the Aloha United Way noted that 37% of households said that someone in their family was considering moving out of state due to the high cost of living and high cost of housing in Hawaii.

Community based organizations are struggling to attract and retain qualified staff. And this is particularly difficult when contracts and grants don't cover the actual cost of providing services. The CBOs are forced to provide minimal salaries and wages to their workers.

And it's shameful that so many nonprofit staff are qualifying for SNAP and other public benefits because of their low wages. Staff working with homeless persons are often concerned about becoming homeless themselves. One outreach worker shared with me, "If my landlord raises my rent, I won't be able to afford my housing."

In 2024, the Salvation Army Family Intervention Services paused admitting new clients to their emergency shelter for boys on Maui, citing a critical shortage of of staff. Thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have Share your Mana. Not present. In support. Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center. Present. Okay. In support. Go ahead, Nikos

Aloha Chair, Vice Chair and members. Nikos Leverenz on behalf of Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center, thank you for hearing this bill and introducing this bill. To echo what our previous testifier said, H3RC has had some level of difficulty recruiting and retaining frontline outreach staff.

We provide homelessness services in Regions 1 and 6 on Oahu and we have other contracts with the Department of Health as well. The COVID 19 pandemic really hit our islands hard in terms of the cost of living when we have federal disruptions like this asinine executive order from the president threatening to suspend federal funds.

I talked with a staff member of ours who was concerned about their section 8 getting pulled. So at the same time, the federal government has also increased its indirect rate to, to 15%. So in these deeply uncertain and troubling times, we, we do need additional resources so our frontline staff can, can live with dignity. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Go ahead, Angelina.

Good morning. Good morning, Chair, Vice Chair, committee members. I'm Angie Mercado, the Executive Director of Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. And I want to, I won't repeat what everybody else have said. Nikos, Judith, we're all, Trisha, we're all part of the same True Cost Coalition.

But I really just want to highlight the impact of the new presidential administration executive orders on freezing is having on our community and our service providers. And I'll speak directly to the contracts under DHS for our domestic violence and related programming services. Approximately $3 million is allocated out of the DHS budget for domestic violence services.

And that includes emergency shelter, counseling, illegal assistance, et cetera, and teen dating violence. 1.0 million of that is from the Family Violence Prevention Services Act. So that's federal money. And then the remaining 3, 2 million is a combination of some of our special funds that relies on fees. And those fees have been going down over the years.

It's a portion of TANF, TANF Pure and Title IV-B. All of these are sources of federal funding. It is about time that we as a state dedicate general funds for our service providers. Over the years, they've been asked to do more and more. They cannot maintain their staff. They cannot hire staff.

And even if these federal funding freezes go away, we know that the nature of the work that we can do under those federal funds will change and will not necessarily meet the diverse needs of our community. So I'm in strong support of this measure. Thank you so much for hearing it. Thank you.

Thank you very much. That's all we had for oral testimony, but we have written testimony and support from the Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Hina Mauka, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, White True Cost Coalition, Aloha United Way, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Epic Ohana, Goodwill Hawaii, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Institute for Human Services, Lanakila Pacific, the Meditation Center of the Pacific, Maui Economic Opportunity, Partners in Development, Responsive Caregivers of Hawaii, Samaritan Counseling Center of Hawaii, YMCA, YWCA Kauai, Adult Friends for Youth, Hawaii Food Bank, and 3, 2 individuals in support, one with comments. Is there anyone else wishing to testify on this measure? Please come up.

Aloha Chair Martin, Vice Chair Olds and members of the committee. My name is Melissa Pavlicek and I'm here today on behalf of the True Cost Coalition. With me is Hanna Lesiak. We're just two people representing more than 70. You've heard from many of them and you saw our testimony.

I just wanted to underscore that these are not simply community based organizations doing amazing work. They're community based organizations doing amazing work on behalf of government. They have contracts with the Department of Human Services and we appreciate working closely with DHS on so many levels. And for their testimony today.

Aloha chair, Vice Chair, and members of the committee. As Melissa said, I'm Hannah Leziak here on behalf of the True Cost Coalition. And I just wanted to put an emphasis on the fact that the true cost of providing these services has increased faster and much more dramatically than appropriations and contract increases. So thank you again for introducing and hearing this bill. And I'm here for any questions that you have. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Is there anyone else who wishes to testify?

Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, committee members. Oh, so sorry.

We'll take in person first. Go ahead, Go ahead.

Yeah, I'm Angie Knight with the Institute for Human Services and I just want to echo what everyone else doing these community based organizations have said. And just to give a little bit of context, last year, we are so grateful for that 5% increase. However, the contracts hadn't for, at least for our emergency shelters, they hadn't been updated in over 10 years.

And if you think about minimum wage then versus now, one of my coworkers actually took a picture over at Panda Express and their minimum wage that they're offering is $17.

And for a lot of our programs, it's a shame that we have outreach workers who are at risk of losing housing, making less than other minimum wage jobs. And some of these people have gone to school, they've gone to do social work. This is their passion.

And they're having to choose between being able to be honestly to get benefits or to serve our clients. So thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you very much. Go ahead on zoom.

Good morning, Chair, Vice Chair, committee and fellow nonprofits. My name is Paige DuPont. I'm the Director of the Spirit Horse Ranch, which is a trauma informed care equine assisted facility. We have served the community for several years, often wearing many hats, and we are affected greatly by the funding freeze. It's been a bit of a roller coaster.

Our primary goal is working with youth and families and our federal funding has been frozen twice and come back. And your support of this bill is critical for us to continue our services. Maui County, the State of Hawaii. We also go out to Molokai.

We were there this week to work with families and dyads who are struggling with crisis and trauma. So we really appreciate you taking a look at this and supporting this bill and standing behind the small nonprofits in Hawaii and all of us who are helping to build a better future for our communities. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Go ahead.

Good morning, Chair and Vice Chair and the members of the committee. I'm Shellie Niles on behalf of Catholic Charities, and just want to stand on our written testimony and echo the sentiments from our community partners as well. And thank you for your support.

Thank you very much. Is there anyone else wishing to testify on this measure? Seeing none. Members, are there any questions? I'd like to note the presence of Rep. Lee Loy, Rep. Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Rep. Alcos, and Rep. Amato. Members, are there any questions for our testifiers? I have questions.

So this bill, which I introduced on behalf of the True Cost Coalition, it's great to have this conversation and to raise awareness of this issue, but the bill does not have specifics. As noted by DHS, it doesn't have any specifics for actual funding.

So I wanted to ask representatives of the True Cost Coalition to come up, knowing that we do have limitations in our budget and the federal freezes don't just affect our nonprofit contracts, they affect everything. How can we use limited funds best?

Like how much and how would we make decisions, in your opinion, about directing those funds so that it's, it's not just a nebulous ask for, for generally making the situation better?

Thank you, Chair, for that question. Hanna Lesiak on behalf of the True Cost Coalition, I just want to speak briefly to the amounts that you noted. So I think we are requesting a percentage of 30% to be increased.

I don't have an exact amount of what that would be, but in comparison the Department of Health last year received $10 million. I can also call up my co worker Trisha to answer as far as how funds might be allocated. But our coalition.

You're just saying, for any contract to a nonprofit organization by DHS that it should just be raised 30%. What if some of those contracts have been adjusted recently and others have not?

That I do not know at the moment, but I could get back to you on that.

Okay. It seems like it would be more fair to be relative to some baseline date so that some that have been adjusted would not get, you know, it would be fair across the board. So anyways, I would love in writing some sort of number because I need to talk to finance. It's not, you know, a blank.

We keep it blank on the bill, but behind the scenes it's not blank. It has to be a real number. So yeah, that would be very helpful to have a real number to ask for and, and a way to fairly or you know, with priority programs, a way to distribute.

Of course, we'll definitely follow up with you on that. Thank you. And then for the Department of Human Services. Yeah. And I do recognize that it's not just our non profits that are having trouble recruiting and retaining due to low wages. It's also our departments in the state. It's here at the legislature as well.

It's an issue across the board, my salary, if I was trying to live on it from this job, I would qualify for benefits as well. So it is a widespread issue. Recognizing that, but trying to think how could the department, you know, in some sort of fair and expense limited way try to improve the situation in your opinion?

Like what, what could be a way that we present to our money committees to actually address this? And how would you know the different. We can't put it all in one budget. Right. These are programs that fall under different budget line items.

So how, how would it best be organized if we were able to move forward with this?

So thank you Chair for that question. You know, I think it's, well, first I want to also say thank you for addressing the fact about retention and hiring within the state. You know, it is a problem across the board.

So, Vice Chair, committee members Joseph Campos, Deputy Director, Department of Human Services. So in response to your question, what I would have to do is say that we would need to study that, you know, to make sure that we come up with an equitable solution.

I do want to stress though that given the comments by True Cost Coalition and other community based organizations, we have seen the fact that, you know, it has not increased within the a certain period of time.

Going back to your previous question to the True Cost Coalition, you know, I think if you would put something in the language of the bill that would say, you know, up to a certain percentage, calculating if other, if contracts have been updated, you know, that we adjust the calculation or the percentage, I think that's a way you could get around the question that you had to the True Cost Coalition.

But then into regards to your question to Department of Human Services. As I said, it would be something that we would have to look into. Definitely we want to ensure that there is equity across the board and we want to make sure that there is a true cost to doing business in Hawaii.

A follow up question. So is it possible for us to just have an appropriation to DHS and you folks put it in the different budget areas for different programs, you know, homelessness versus children versus disabilities. Is that possible or do we have to figure that out in advance?

I think that would be possible. The language would have to be written as such in the bill that would direct DHS to do that. My only concern would be the recurring aspect of funding.

The recurring.

Yeah. So if you only give it for two years, what will happen in the next biennium? You know, so to also look at whether it'll be like in our base budget to increase, you know, our contract costs or if it'll be just for the first two years and then we have to come back next biennium.

Okay, thank you for pointing that out. Would you be able to help me out in the near term like today with some language that could help me amend this Bill so that it is inclusive, is flexible enough for DHS to distribute it to the different budget line items as needed.

We'll be happy to work with you. And you want it today or who?

Yeah, today. Okay. By 24 hours.

A 24 hour period. Okay, good.

Yeah. So I'm not asking you to figure out the budget numbers. Yeah, just language that I can use because obviously I want to send something clean to our next committee. I don't want them to have to amend it.

Okay, Definitely. We'll get it to you within a 24 hour period.

Okay, thank you. And then for the True Cost Coalition, also, we could have a 24 hours for some sort of a number that you think based on your calculations might be an appropriate number and then we can include that in the committee report. All right, thank you very much. Members. Any other questions?

Thanks for your patience on that. Next up, we have HB1349 appropriates funds for the Department of Human Services to authorize medicaid coverage for the Children's Health Insurance Program to income-qualified pregnant persons and children regardless of immigration status. And we have, first up is the Legal Clinic with Sandy Ma.

Good morning, Chair, Vice Chair, members of the committee, Sandy Ma for the Legal Clinic, we are testifying in support of HB1349. This provides for coverage for income qualified pregnant persons and children regardless of immigration status.

This bill is good for the health of the pregnant person and children, and also for the benefit of the community as a whole. We urge this committee to support this bill, and we are available for any questions. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have Aloha Care in support.

Good morning again. Thank you so much for hearing this bill. Chair, Vice Chair and representatives, I'm Sarielyn Curtis with Aloha Care. We're in strong support of this measure, and we're here for comments, and we stand on our written testimony. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have Amy Agbayani from Hawaii Friends of Civil Rights. Is Amy here? Nope. Okay. In support, we have the Department of Human Services with comments in person.

Aloha Chair, members of the committee, on behalf of DHS Director Yamane. We stand on our written testimony, offering comments appreciating it. Thank you.

On that organization.

Okay. They put you down as an individual.

Thank you very much. And then we have an individual in support, Liza Ryan Gill. Were you testifying on behalf of an organization?

Okay, no problem. Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, members of the committee, Liza Ryan Gill, Executive Director of the Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, representing about 30 immigrant-serving and immigrant-led organizations across the Pa'ina. We stand in strong support of this bill. It's already been passed in about 24 states.

So about roughly half of all states have a similar provision. One thing that I think is really important is that we understand that this really reduces our, when we see a heightened time of immigration enforcement and concern, you see a rise in premature and underweight babies in specific populations, including black mothers and Latina mothers.

This has been well studied under the Institute of Public Health and the NIH, and Harvard's Chan School of Public Health. It is a major concern. We also see a major shift towards what is called the "chilling effect." People who withdraw from benefits, who might be eligible, who stop going to the doctor.

So I think what we're trying to create here is a continuum of care. These children are born in the United States. Their birth is covered under EMTALA.

Getting that mother connected to a doctor, as that baby is in gestation, and making sure that they have that prenatal care can help us track if there's going to be an underweight baby or a preterm birth. Just speaking very personally, I have lots of sister in laws and cousins that are having babies right now.

I would say three of the four of them have had a complication in their pregnancy so far, needing blood transfusions. Having a preterm birth that almost cost my sister in law her life two months ago. If she had not been in connection with her provider and her midwife, they would not have caused that.

And it would be a very different situation right now. So this is something that it's a very small population that we have here in Hawaii. But we can help make sure that these children get connected to a pediatrician and that the very beginning part of their life is as best as it can be at this point in time.

So that's why we put this bill forward. And we also support department, our MedQuest administrators, and are interested in just continuing the conversation if there's a concern about funding.

Thank you very much. We also had written testimony and support from the Hawaii County Council District 2, Indivisible Hawaii. The statewide network was a couple, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speak, ACOG, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Save Medicaid Hawaii, Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Roots Reborn Maui.

And then a few repeats from some of those same organizations, as well as 53 individuals in support. Is there anyone else wishing to testify on this measure? I'm seeing none. I have a question for DHS. Thank you for providing testimony with some numbers. Yes, please. Yeah. So, thank you for providing testimony that had budget numbers in it.

What would the budget code be for this? Where would it fall?

HMS401.

401. Okay. Thank you very much. That's all. Members, are there any other questions? Nope? Then moving on to our next measure: HB 613, relating to homeless youth. It appropriates funds to the Department of Human Services to provide emergency shelter and services to unaccompanied homeless youth. And first up we have--sorry, we have some measures that have had so much testimony that it is hard to keep track. Okay. Is the Office of the Public Defender in person? Welcome, Mr. Ganaden.

Good morning, Chair Marten, Vice Chair Olds, members of the committee. My name is Sonny Ganaden. I'm a deputy public defender. The Office of the Public Defender is in strong support of this measure. This is part of a collective push by government to decarcerate youth.

A lot of folks have been educated about adverse childhood effects, ACEs, and the intersection of that in criminal law. We don't want to lose the momentum here in this state. This is essentially a funding bill. We believe it's money well spent.

Every dollar you spend on these kids, the most--the ones who need the most help in our community, we think, will decrease their intersection with criminal law. If you have any questions about the way the Office of the Public Defender represents children before family court as minors and then again as adults, here for any questions.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have John Mizuno from the Statewide Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions, or his representative.

Good morning, Chair, Vice Chair, committee members. My name is Brandon Mitsuda. I'm with the Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions and we stand in strong support of this measure, which appropriates funds to the Department of Human Services to provide emergency shelter and services to unaccompanied homeless youth.

As we travel across the state to provide more kauhale everywhere, unaccompanied homeless youth is one of the things that is always tugging at our hearts because as we see these youth that are out there, they so need the help, and, you know, we visited organizations that are helping homeless youth and, boy, do they really make a difference.

And so the Governor, the First Lady, John Mizuno, the DHS, right, really, really stand in support of this and we are currently having potential kauhale that are coming online to specifically focus in on homeless youth. And so we stand ready to assist and help and partner with everyone. So we really appreciate this measure and we just want to help.

Thank you for being here today. Next up, we have DHS.

Good morning. We're tag teaming today. Good morning, chair, vice chair, and members of the committee. I'm Daisy Hartsfield, the Social Services Division Administrator for the Department of Human Services. The department did submit testimony and the testimony appreciates the intent of the bill.

We would defer to the Office of Youth Services, provided comments, and also requested clarification in terms of the funding because we do have different programs within the department that provide these services, and I'm available for any questions. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have the Office of Youth Services.

Good morning. Aloha chair, vice chair, members of the committee. My name is Leanne Gillespie. I'm the Executive Director of the Office of Youth Services. The OAS is in support of this bill. We offer comments. For the past three years, we've been working on Safe Spaces for Youth pilot project that was passed by the Legislature in 2022.

We've spent three years building this project and putting it in place, and we're requesting, respectfully, that you look at homeless youth funding for our Safe Spaces Program. We're ready to go to procure services for shelters across the state and would like not to start another program for homeless youth. Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have Carla Houser from RYSE.

Aloha, chair, vice chair, members of the committee. My name is Carla Houser. I'm the Executive Director for RYSE, which is Residential Youth Services and Empowerment, and annually, we provide street outreach, emergency shelter, and a number of federally funded housing programs for young people experiencing homelessness. We are in strong support of this.

Any effort to support community-based organizations who are working to end youth homelessness in Hawaii is greatly appreciated. We stand with some of our other partners who are doing this work. We are partnering with Hawaii Youth Service Network.

We are part of the Homeless Youth System Improvement grant that was just awarded through HUD, and that is really to build a coordinated entry system and future funding opportunities for neighbor islands to be able to sustain and acquire some of these HUD resources. So mahalo for introducing and supporting this, and any questions regarding youth experiencing homelessness on Oahu, I'm available for questions. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have Pride at Work Hawaii on Zoom. Not present. In support. We have the Stonewall Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii in support. Not present. The Hawaii State LGBTQ Commission in support. Present on Zoom. Go ahead.

Good Morning. Michael Golojuch Jr., Vice Chair of the Hawaii State LGBTQ Commission, he/him pronouns. We stand in strong support of this measure. This is an LGBTQIA issue because homeless unaccompanied minors identify with the LGBTQIA plus community at 40%. We make up eight to ten percent of the population, depending on who you listen to.

This disparity is very much needs to be spotlighted. This has been--on a personal note--this has been a longtime passion of mine trying to make sure that we have emergency shelters on all of our islands. We--the commission stands in full support of this bill. It's one of our major priorities for this session.

We want to thank you for hearing this bill. When it comes to the details, we recommend that you listen to Carla from RYSE as she is the SME in the state when it comes to this issue. We have seen the wonderful work that she's doing over there at RYSE and making a huge difference.

There's been a lot of talk about ending homelessness and it starts here by making sure our homeless unaccompanied minors are taken off the streets, are making sure they don't become homeless adults, and the cycle of homelessness at one of its root causes. And so we encourage you to pass this bill, fund it, and make sure that our homeless unaccompanied minors are taken care of because they are one of our most vulnerable populations in the state. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have the Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center. Nikos, go ahead.

Aloha, chair, vice chair, and members. Nikos Leverenz, on behalf of Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center. We have a Guide On The Side program which specifically is tailored for LGBT unaccompanied minors who are facing homelessness and housing instability.

As my testimony has noted, LGBT youth face a range of challenges to their health and well-being, including housing stability compared to their heterosexual peers, and it's even more acute for unaccompanied minors who are trans, and we stand in strong support of this bill and we also really support the work that Ms. Houser and her organization is doing as well. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have Judith Clark on Zoom.

Aloha, chair, members of the committee. I'm actually testifying on behalf of Hawaii Youth Services Network, not as an individual. I made a mistake when I submitted the testimony. Runaway and homeless youth are the most vulnerable segment of Hawaii's homeless population because they are children who have not yet completed their education, lack work experience and job skills, and haven't yet acquired the skills needed for successful adult living.

This bill addresses the needs and issues of unaccompanied youth who are living on the streets, parks, or beaches without family guidance or support. Young people run from abusive or neglectful families, they often have untreated mental health and substance abuse issues, and sometimes they are literally thrown out of their homes by the adults who are supposed care for and protect them. Living on the streets is dangerous and difficult and young people do not choose to do it for fun or adventure.

Through a HUD-funded youth homelessness system improvement program, we are working with government and nonprofit agencies as well as young people with lived experience of homelessness to identify unmet needs and build stronger partnerships to address them.

We are working with the University of Hawaii to conduct a statewide street youth survey and interviews and focus groups with young people who were homeless who have transitioned into more stable housing to find out what worked for them. This data will help all government agencies and nonprofits that work with homeless youth to ensure that funds are used most effectively and efficiently. Thank you for this opportunity to testify.

Thank you. We also had in writing, support from Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Oahu Youth Action Board, Opportunity for Youth Action Hawaii, and three individuals. Is there anyone else wishing to testify on this measure? Seeing none. Members, are there any questions. Okay, Vice Chair.

So I don't know who the question's going out to, but anyone who wants to answer this, will this proposed shelter be servicing homeless youth under the age of 18? Anybody want to answer that?

Yes, Leanne Gillespie from the Office of Youth Services. I mean, yes, ideally we'd like to serve homeless youth up to the age of 25, so through age 24, both for minors and for young adults.

But what is the youngest age, I think is what he was asking?

What is the youngest age? I would respectfully request that you don't put a youngest age so we can serve youth who are--may be also at risk of being homeless.

We have a lot of youth that have other trauma issues, experiencing violence, crisis, mental health, substance abuse--that they would also be able to get assistance through the funds in this program so they don't become homeless. Some are couch surfing and a minimum age makes it very restrictive on implementing problems.

Do you think that leaving it--the ambiguity in there, not putting an age, it would be better to help remove the barriers? Sorry, I'm looking at Carla over here too.

Yeah, Carla can come on up too.

So my intent is I want sheltering for homeless youth, identified youths.

Yes, I think that to your point, we need to look at the minor right-to-shelter bill that was passed last year that does allow community-based organizations who are not licensed child-placing institutions to be able to provide a safe, low-barrier housing opportunity for those unaccompanied minors who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness and to be able to work in partnership with DHS in what is the right solution for that minor moving forward. I would look at the age range for that.

I believe it is 14 to 17, minor right-to-shelter. If a young person can consent to their own medical, to their own family planning services, an unaccompanied minor should be also able to consent to where they stay and where they feel safe. Thank you.

Carla, don't go away. So based off the language, I want to make sure that we are supporting exactly what you just said. Do you think the language on this bill will do that or do you think that we need to be putting different language to help remove these barriers of kind of what you just mentioned?

Yeah, I think it is honoring the true intent of being able to support young people who are experiencing homelessness, ages 14 to 24, and following that to the intent of the law.

Okay, let's do it. Thank you.

Members, are there any other questions? Go ahead. Mr. Alcos.

Same person. Does the parents have the right to know where their children--let's say if one children ran away from home and they're young, does the program would allow the parents to know where their children are?

In the safety of the young person, first and foremost, we want to make sure that that youth comes into safety and is surrounded by, by supportive adults. Then we would reach out and we would work with DHS, we would work with missing children's attorney generals, and figure out what is the correct next step.

Perhaps that young person, as many folks have testified, is actually running from a situation that is not safe, but to be able to work collectively--so while that young person is in limbo, they are at least in a safe space and we can work with the departments to find out what's really going on.

So yes, in a sense, we would absolutely work with the families, work with the department to find out what is the right next step, but allowing them to be unsheltered and living in encampments and not doing anything is not the right solution for those young people.

So, I like the program that the youth get to go to a shelter, but how do you protect the parents when the parents calling the police in 24 hours, not knowing where your child is at 13 years old or 14?

And we have the problems at teenagers when they have a runaway and just don't want the discipline at home, and how do we care for our children when I'm not sure you can give me an answer to that yet. We can let the parents know by 24 hours or, you know, like you said, it's in limbo.

Right. I will speak to what our current process is, is if we encounter an unaccompanied minor that is missing and is reported missing, our outreach team works with the Attorney General's Office of Missing Childrens and we coordinate what is the next stair. We first identify that that youth has been identified and they are safe, and then what is the next process so we can help bring that young person into care?

Thank you. Yes.

Are there any other questions? I have a question for Leanne. So the, the next bill has the exact same--on our agenda--has the exact same purpose and is an administration bill, HB 1101. Is that funding in the Governor's Budget?

No, it is not.

It is not. Okay. All right. That was my question.

May I offer some comments post Carla?

Oh. Yes, you can.

She and I agreed to play well in the sandbox together--we still will--but if I can have some comments about some follow over. So, Office of Youth Services, if we were to fund or contract with minor shelters, we do require licensing and so that's a little bit different than what Carla's asking for.

We do require licensing and make sure that there is some oversight on minor shelters to keep those kids safe and everything's okay. The second point I completely forgot, so I'll leave it there.

I have a question for Carla as a follow up to that. So if we were to adopt the language from the administration bill, would that cut RYSE out?

For minors. Yes. It would.

But you could still get funding for your 19 through 24-year-olds? Or I guess 18 through 24.

So the challenge and why the minor right-to-shelter actually came up is because historically, we have seen 15, 16, 17-year-olds who have been part of resource caregiver, you know, they've been part of the foster care family, it's not the right placement, they've gone from place to place to place, and so now they're unsheltered and they couch surf.

And rather than just allowing them to sit there, we want to be able to engage them in adulting activities, get them back connected to school rather than have them just sit and wait until they turn 18.

We're talking about a handful, 12 to 15 young people a year. DHS is very aware of them. They know that they've had multiple placements, and so all we're asking is to be an alternative solution that allows us to do our work in conjunction and side by side with them. So we're not opposed to being licensed. We're not opposed to following the letter of the law. It's just we work in kind of parallel systems when it comes time to sum a handful of these unaccompanied minors.

So you would consider getting licensed in order to access a funding?

We've always been open to being licensed.

But you--okay. Thank you very much. A question for DHS. So I think that the only organization perhaps that there is a complication with passing, having the money go through our existing excellent program through Office of Youth Services, would be this issue with RYSE being able to, you know, have this handful of kids who are basically running away from the foster care system. And how--do you have--is there a path you see for, for making that work?

In terms of funding, no, because of the nature of federal funding and what they require in order for the state to access that funding. Last legislative session we did have that bill that allowed unlicensed shelters to continue to provide services.

And as we testified then, it's not an issue and we have trusted partners like RYSE providing the services, but when we have an unknown entity come in and they're unlicensed and they're claiming to provide services that perhaps the community is not familiar with, that's the concern, and that's why there's that federal requirement that they be licensed so that there is that oversight to make sure that children placed in those types of shelters are protected and there's some kind of regulation for that.

But if RYSE were to become licensed--but would they still be able to care for that handful of children who have run away from the foster care system?

They would be, but I believe the issue with RYSE is because they have a mixed population. There would need to be some type of physical requirement that they can meet so that those different ages don't mix because there are young children, and then anyone 18 and older is considered an adult and so that's the concern is the mixing of that mixed age population.

Thank you very much. Another time for RYSE. Carla, please. Is--would it be possible in your facility to meet those requirements for not having the ages mix?

Absolutely. We did it during the pandemic. We, we did run at one point for a three-year pilot. We did successfully run a minor shelter.

Okay. Thank you very much.

Okay, so moving on. Any other questions, members? Moving on to our next measure and our next measure does accomplish the same goal.

So I would ask if, if we have just heard from you, maybe if you could on the interest of time, stand on your written testimony, because we will try to move a measure forward that respects the intent of both bills. First up, we have the Office of the Public Defender, State of Hawaii.

Sunny, is that you? Standing on his testimony, okay. Next up, we have the Department of Human Services. Thank you. And next we have Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. In support, we have the Statewide Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions. Thank you. Department of Human Services, Office of Youth Services.

We stand on our written testimony.

Thank you.

On Zoom, Hawaii Youth Services Network.

Aloha, Chair, members of the committee. Judith Clark for Hawaii Youth Services Network. I will be brief.

One element of the Safe Spaces for Youth pilot project is the Safe Place program that we have been contracted to provide coordination and planning for. Any young person in crisis on O'ahu or Hawaii island can walk into a Safe Place site or text for help 24 hours, with 24-hour a day response.

The Salvation Army Family Intervention Services, Parents And Children Together, Work Hawaii, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii, and the Hawaii County Rapid Transit System are among the organizations that are working together on this project. Without new funding from the legislature, two years of planning, training, and outreach will be lost if Safe Place ends the pilot project on June 30.

This is why we need Safe Places for Youth to become a permanent program rather than pilot so that we won't lose the years of work we've put into planning. Thank you for this opportunity to testify.

Thank you very much. We also have Hawaii Health and Harm. Reduction Center

Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, members. Nikos Leverenz with H3RC. Stand on written testimony, but I would like to note that I did make errors in both statements, both letters. Only 51% of transgender youths usually sleep at their parent or guardians zone compared to 94% of cisgender youth. So the problem's acute model.

Thank you very much. We also had written testimony and support from Hawaii Substance Use Coalition, Opportunity for Youth Action Hawaii, three individuals, and we had comments from RISE. Members, or is there anyone else wishing to testify on this measure? Seeing none. Members, are there any questions? Seeing none.

We're going to move on to our next measure, which is HB705 relating to the Executive Office on Aging. It establishes a temporary Medi-Medi project within the Hawaii State Health Insurance Assistance Program, administered by the Executive Office on Aging, to assist older adults to get signed up for services.

And first up, we have Caroline Cadirao from the office of Executive Office of Aging.

Good morning, Chair Marten, Vice Chairs, and members of the committee. My name is Caroline Cadirao, Director of the Executive Office of Aging and attached agency to the Department of Health. Thank you so much for scheduling this hearing for House Bill 705. It's a Kupuna Caucus measure.

This bill is really an access bill to help those that are both eligible, we call them dual eligibles for Medicare and Medicaid to be able to get help navigating and applying for low subsidy programs that would help them in their needs, such as the Medicare Medicaid Savings Program, the Extra help program, Part D plans, and also the uninsured and underinsured to help them navigate through the marketplace.

And this is important because these individuals are already struggling on limited budgets, they're struggling to make ends meet, and they could be at risk for homelessness. Executive Office on Aging, through our State Health Insurance Assistance program, already has 33 years of experience providing unbiased Medicare counseling.

And over the last few years, the SHIP program has seen more callers asking about how do we qualify for Medicaid. We also have received an uptake in referrals from both Medicaid, the MedQuest Division, and the Social Security Administration. We are providing that counseling to those that are both duly eligible and we're trained in marketplace counseling.

And the benefits, like I said earlier for the beneficiary is to help with that screening process and getting them ready to receive these subsidy programs. For the MedQuest Division, we will support their workload by providing these services and having faster processing times.

And for the Executive Office on Aging, it would increase permanent staffing and strengthen our infrastructure. And the last thing I'd like to touch on is that these are billable hours of the work that would be done for Medicaid administrative claiming. So down the road, we would be able to bring in revenue to the Executive Office on Aging.

And this bill is asking for a full-time equivalent and operating costs. And I'm available for any questions. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We also have the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Thank you. Daintry Bartoldus, Executive Director of the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Thank you, Chair, committee members. We've noticed that individuals with disabilities they often get Medicare through their parents. And so although they're now elderly, they are dual-diagnosed, I mean, excuse me, dual coverage.

And it's a very tricky navigation to go through this process. So we're really appreciative that this measure will include people with disabilities, where they could get support through the Executive Office on Aging as well. Thank you very much for this opportunity to testify.

Thank you. Next up we have AARP Hawaii.

Good morning, Chair, members of the committee. I'm Audrey Suga-Nakagawa. I'm the Advocacy Director for AARP, and AARP stands on our testimony and strong support of this project. We want to really express our appreciation and applaud the Executive Office on Aging to launching this initiative.

We know how difficult it is to navigate not just Medicare, but also the Medicaid program. So, having this project to help facilitate that process will really be beneficial and very helpful for many of our kupuna who will be qualifying for this program or who could definitely benefit from the services.

I just want to remind you we're in the thick of the baby boomers. And they're coming in, and so they will need help to try to get sure they get the right benefits at the right time.

And it really would make a big difference in their lives if they could receive such program assistance that will help face the high cost of living. Thank you very much in testifying support of this program.

Thank you. We also had written testimony and support from the Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition and three individuals. Is there anyone else wishing to testify on this measure? Seeing none. Members, are there any questions? Go ahead.

Thank you, Chair. Don't mind coming up. And this continues to be a follow-up question from other work we've been doing and other committee work. And it really is that universal form. And I'm just wondering if there's any work being put towards creating a universal form.

So it's one time, put in all the information, and then can able to access all the different services.

Yes, that's something that's very near and dear to us, that we want to do only discussions. We've only talked about it, but there hasn't been anything really going forward. But we're hoping, through this legislation session, that we'll have more and more discussions and talk about that. That we understand that it's complicated. Especially like during the Maui fires.

You fill out application, you have to fill out 10 more. You might miss something to be able to fill out one application that populates everywhere, and if there's a puka here or there, that person will contact and be able to work through it. We are very strongly supportive of that. But at this time, it's only in conversation.

We're not there yet. But it's something definitely that we want to work toward.

Okay, great. And then follow up as it relates to our children with disability and they age into these programs, what happens to a child who has a disability who is under guardianship and they get to these ages of Medicare, Medicaid option?

Yes. So with guardianship, we're working with the guardianship in order to have a supported decision-making where the individuals will really get more say in what to do. Back in the day, guardianship was there, and that person only talked for them. But we're working through that, through the legislation.

But the supportive decision making where the individual is there to be able to express their wants and goals and needs.

Great, thank you. And then same question to Caroline, if you don't mind coming up. Absolutely in support of this. It's those forms, and it's so many, and just if we could put our heads together to get to a universal form, and I'm not seeing a universal form that covers everything, but at least captures all of the information, so it's fill out one time.

Thank you, ladies. Thank you, Chair.

Yes. I mean that. Yes, that would make life, I think, a lot easier. And I'm glad that there's discussions around this. And yeah, I think that's something we work really well together. So yeah, that's something that we could continue to move forward. Thank you.

I have a question for the Executive Office on Aging. What, just for our committee report, do you have the numbers for this? It was a blank bill. In terms of what the costs are?

For the Medi-Medi project itself, we're looking at about 100,000 operating only because this is a population that may not be as savvy with technology and things like that. So we're going to have to go to developing products and things and mail-outs to get all the information out into the community. So that's what we're shooting for.

Okay, and that would be one time to develop those materials, or would that be the second year as well?

Well, if we can, that claiming doesn't go away, and we can receive that claiming for the work that we're doing, I think a one-year thing would be okay, and then we could use whatever revenue we get through Medicaid administrative claiming to provide for those operating costs.

Okay, thank you. That is very helpful.

Yeah.

Sorry, I just have to write notes. All righty. So members, are there any other questions? Seeing none, we're moving on to our next measure which is HB 327 relating to state child care. And first up we have the Executive Office on Early Learning. Yuuko Arikawa-Cross.

Hi, Chair Martin, Vice Chair Olds. Members of the Committee, Yuuko Arikawa-Cross. Director of the Executive Office on Early Learning. We stand on our written testimony offering comments.

Thank you very much. Next up, we had written testimony in support from the Department of Human Services and two individuals. Is there anyone else wishing to testify in person or on zoom on this measure? Seeing none members, are there any questions? Okay. Moving on to our next measure, HB 943 relating to homelessness.

It requires and appropriates funds to the Department of Health to establish a homeless triage and treatment center program to serve homeless individuals and individuals at risk of homelessness, specifically with substance abuse issues or mental illness. And first up, we have in support, the State Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions.

Good morning, chair, vice chair, committee members. My name is Brandon Mitsuda. I'm with the Statewide Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions. We stand in strong support of this measure. Thank you so very much for its introduction.

You know, we have seen across the state that substance abuse, mental health issues, as well as people that are duly diagnosed is probably one of the largest problems facing our homeless population and those that we service at the kauhales.

And at the kauhales, what we want to do is we want to provide the necessary wraparound services there to help with these two particular things so that they are--they are helped so that when they do transition out to other types of housing, they do not return back to our kauhales or continue to have these issues.

If we just let them go on our streets or just put them in housing without the wraparound services that our kahale provide, we find that there's a very large amount of problems that stem from that. So we thank you so very much for this measure, and we stand ready to partner with everyone in this effort.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much.

I just wanted to note that I inadvertently skipped HB 324, and we will go back to that after we finish testimony and etcetera on this. Thank you.

You're welcome.

Next we had up the Institute for Human Services.

Aloha, Chair, Vice Chair, Committee Members. Once again, I'm Angie with the Institute for Human Services. We've seen this center started out as a pilot program using the funding of state GIA monies.

And over our time we have seen that has proven successful and is providing vital services and stabilizing individuals who are ready to come off the street and go on to shelter. But going straight into congregate settings is just not right for them yet.

Some of these individuals are wanting and requesting help and recovery through substance uses or mental health stabilization. And I also want to specify that there is a difference between what the homeless triage and treatment centers offer versus behavioral health crisis centers. I know that was a large discussion last year.

And just to say that we do partner with the crisis centers, when they get individuals coming there under MH orders or through court, they get there. They do triage in the sense that they assess to see what their needs are.

But when they need a higher degree of care, that's when they refer either to our services or hospitals. So that is there. And I'm available for questions and I hope I can answer them. But if not, I will reach out to my team to get you the answers that you're wanting. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much. Next up, we had on Zoom the Hawaii State Department of Health.

Aloha Chair Martin, Vice Chair, Members of the Committee. John Valera of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division Representing Department of Health for Dr. Fink. Yeah, we stand on our remarks and support.

This is a project and we will welcome discussion with local hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, IHS, the state homeless office, enforcement agencies and other service providers to gain further clarity on how we can better deliver the services that are addressed in this bill. Thank you so much. And I'll be standing by for any questions.

Thank you very much. That is it for oh no, my bad. We also have on Zoom Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center.

Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, Members. Nikos Leverenz with Hawaii by the Health and Harm Reduction Center. We are in strong support of this bill.

These kinds of facilities are essential for people who've been out on the streets for extended periods of time, not just for their behavioral health issues, but also for a number of undiagnosed and undertreated chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and other heart problems, and some with other issues as well.

So people need these kinds of medical stabilization centers before or they can even enter congregate settings like treatment. So we're very supportive of this bill. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have the Office of the Public Defender in person.

Good morning again, Chair. Vice Chair. Sonny Ganaden, Deputy Public Defender. We're in support of this. We just wanted to explain to you how the current triage system works with the district court and the family court.

For individuals who are placed in involuntary commitment, they are assigned a public defender to represent them before the district court here on Oahu, that is the Kapolei Court. And then we have these hearings via Zoom. After Covid, the maximum time that an individual can be held against their will is 90 days here on Oahu.

These hearings are had because individuals are held at Queens, right across the street at Tripler, and at Casco Medical Center and, of course, at HSH. There are also hearings having to do with Hawaii Revised Statute 704, which has to do with whether or not an individual is basically sane enough to continue on trial.

So we are hoping that if this kind of a program is introduced and supported, it will take the burden off of the district and family courts in essentially being the current triage system for individuals with significant mental health issues. The most common thing we see is schizoaffective disorder and bipolar affective disorder as a result of methamphetamine use.

Even for individuals who have gotten clean, come out of facilities, they still have the symptoms. Like they see and they hear things, hallucinations, they respond to internal stimulus. We see a lot of these people on the street.

Then they have to interact with the criminal court because they do some sort of minor crime, and then they come in contact with our office. So we're hoping that we can kind of transition these people out. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thanks for being here today. We also had written testimony in support from the Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Roar Cares, and from five individuals. Is there anyone else on Zoom or in person wishing to testify in this measure? Seeing none. Members, are there any questions?

I have a question for the Department of Health on Zoom.

Hi.

Yeah. Okay. Thank you for being here. So would this. Would this just fund the existing IHS program or was the idea to. To open a new location or expand services within some other existing program?

So this would be. The IHS does have a contract with us already. And so this would be possibly for another location.

Another location. Okay. And have you thought of that location? Are you thinking about the west side or something like that?

We haven't proceeded that far yet. Chair.

Okay. All right. And then the other thing is this comes with a blank appropriation. What. What was the number that you folks were looking for? What would be the appropriate number to put in our committee report.

I could get that for you or. Yeah, if I assume you would you need it received really soon, like today or.

Yeah, maybe by tomorrow morning so that we can file our committee reports with accurate numbers in them for recommendations.

Sure, I can get that to you.

Okay. Thank you very much. Members, any other questions? Seeing none. We're going backwards to the one that I skipped: HB 324, relating to baby bonds. It establishes a working group to create a plan to reduce intergenerational poverty and wealth inequality in Hawaii. And first up, we have the Department of Human Services with comments.

The Department of Human Services with comments on this bill? They might have left when I moved on. Okay. We also had written testimony in support--this is for the baby bond bill--from the Democratic Party of Hawaii Education Caucus and from one individual. Is there anyone else wishing to testify on this measure? Seeing none. Okay.

Okay. There is no one to ask questions of, so we will move on to our next measure, which is HB 212, which requires the State Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions to establish a permanent return-to-home program to return homeless individuals in the state to families and relatives in their home states and appropriates funds. First up, we have the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions. Director Mizuno.

Thank you. Good morning, Chair Martin, Vice Chair Olds, and distinguished committee members. First, I wanted to thank Representative Adrian Tam for introducing House Bill 212, relating to the Return-to-Home Program. Our office stands in strong support of House Bill 212 to establish a permanent return-to-home program in the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions in addition to establishing one full-time position to assist and supervise this program statewide.

As of as of January 19, 2025, the Return-to-Home Program has sent 137 mainland homeless back to their families on the mainland, saving Hawaii taxpayers $11.2 million.

We strongly support this bill to establish a permanent return-to-home program in the Statewide Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions and establish within this office that one full-time position that will be focused on this program, which will be statewide and also assist with providing resource--providing information to the Legislature as well as the media and public on a timely basis on any information relating to what our office does in addition to working on outreach services to match homelessness with a shelter or kauhale statewide.

We do have two minor amendments, friendly amendments. The first would be that this, that this bill contain this amendment. The requirement would be for a family or support group on the mainland to be contacted by our office or the agency contracted for such services and that that family or support group on the mainland be willing to accept that homeless person or the homeless family.

That's the difference between us and other states such as New York, which indiscriminately sent homeless throughout other states. That's the difference. This is a first-of-its-kind program. This is part of why it works.

Second, we're asking if we can place in a bill the mandate that the family, that the family or support group on the mainland, pay for half the return flight cost. That's a big difference too. It stops fraud. If the family is willing to pay for half the flight, return flight, we will cut out a lot of fraud or people trying to use this just for one-way ticket to wherever.

Just want to end by saying the Return-to-Home Program will help reunite families on the mainland with their strong support group where they should be. Second--I've already stated--this program has already saved the State of Hawaii taxpayers $11.2 million. For those reasons, we humbly ask this committee to pass this measure. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Next up we have Angie Knight, Institute of Human Services.

Aloha, once again. The Institute for Human Services, we--and along with another organization actually in Hawaii County started this as a pilot program for our counties. A few years ago--and then two years ago your Legislature--and we thank you for it--made this a statewide program. So we've seen families reunited.

We've also seen that many people who have gone through the different triage and crisis centers want to go into programming for treatment, and so we've been able to assess--assist them seeking out the treatment for inpatient treatment for helping them.

The hope of this program is that we're able to reunite people with support systems to end homelessness, whether that be here in our community or where they have community elsewhere. And I would like to also say this program has been able to help people reunite with their community actually in U.S. territories as well. So we have enabled this and help people go back to Guam and go back to American Samoa. So thank you so much, and I'm available for questions.

Thank you very much for being here. We also had testimony in support from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, from the Office of the Public Defender, from one individual, and comments from the State Procurement Office. Is there anyone else wishing to testify on this measure? Seeing none. Members, are there any questions? Noting the presence of Representative Tam and Representative Takayama and Representative Pierick. Go ahead.

Thank you, Chair. I have a question for Coordinator Mizuno, please.

Representative Amato, hi.

Thank you for your testimony. It's outstanding to hear the savings that this program gives to the state. But could you translate the dollars into the human cost? How many people have been served by this program thus far?

Excellent question. If you go back in its history when Connie Mitchell from IHS, former Mayor Mufi Hannemann, and myself worked on this program, approximately 800 people have been sent back to the mainland with less than 2% returning. I don't know how many millions of dollars that would equate.

I do know that to date, if you're looking at the statistics, if I'm homeless person, I don't have permanent support housing, chances are I'm going to be spending the taxpayer about--or costing the taxpayer about 82,000 per year. Based on that--and that's because I would probably be a high Medicaid rate user going to the ER nine to 12 times a year--that would come out to 137 times 82,000 which is $11.2 million. And that's the cost savings to the state. But again, thank you for asking about the historical note.

This has been extremely effective, again, sending over 800 people back to the mainland with less than 2% returning to Hawaii. I'm just grateful finally we were able to pass this. We've been trying to do this for probably well over a decade.

I remember the past DHS director actually did not fund this program thinking this was a one-way ticket to Vegas, but we show that this program does work, and again, we're very grateful for the question. Thank you for allowing me to jump into that historical note and share the extreme success of this program.

Thank you. Thank you, Chair.

Any other questions? Go ahead.

Thank you, Chair. For our esteemed Homeless Czar, it's nice to see you.

Senator Diamond, great to see you, sir.

Question. So are you aware of any other states, because they come here from other states. I saw in the news last year, I think Alaska was talking about sending their people here. Does our state homeless office have a grip on how many states have programs that sending their people to Hawaii?

Yes sir, Representative. At this point it's kind of under the dark. I'll tell you why. So if you were to look up--sorry, I know, plug, but Rep. Mizuno, New York Homeless, and SOTA Program, SOTA Program. New York was sending their homeless to Hawaii and other states. This is when I was a Legislator.

I wrote a letter to the U.S. Attorney General and they stopped that practice. After my letter was publicized, other mayors and governors got involved and said New York cannot do this. That program was shut down. So we do know this is not folklore, this is reality. It has happened.

Alaska, a couple years ago, the mayor, I think--thinking is Juneau or Anchorage--he was going to do the same thing. I saw that on the news. This is in my capacity as a lawmaker. I wrote to him and I said, 'you cannot do this.'

'If you want to copycat our program, the Return-to-Home Program, that would be a good fit, but you cannot do what you're doing and indiscriminately send people to warm weather places because you want to get them out of your city.' He did not reply back to me, but in any case, they scuttled that program after that letter went out. They just didn't do it. No doubt, no doubt there are other states doing it. If we find out about it, we will write to the U.S. Attorney General. Good question, and it has been going on with other states. Definitely.

Thank you.

Thank you, chair--thank you, Representative.

Yes, go ahead.

Representative Alcos.

Thank you, Director Mizuno. According to something like Diamond said is, you know, we're looking for their families and returning them back to their families and--but as we saying that the government is the one that's sending them out here on a one-way ticket, is there a way that we can find the government or that state and somehow wrap it in our bill where maybe we don't find their families but we can probably find their state.

Great, great potential question to look at. I would highly recommend that maybe the chair might consider putting that in a committee report. We should do the deeper dive and see if other states like New York and Alaska plan to send their homeless to Hawaii, but we do know other states have been doing this, we just haven't identified them yet besides those two states, New York and Alaska.

So it's a very well point taken and it perhaps should be in a committee report and perhaps we should do a study to see if there are any other states doing it. I'm sure there are, and once we find them, we should work with Hawaii's Attorney General, see if there are any ways we can place fines on that state or reach out to the federal government for help. Excellent point again, Representative Alcos.

Thank you, Director.

Thank you, sir.

Are there any other questions? I have a question.

Yes, Chair Marten.

Yeah. Thank you for being here. So it's a blank appropriation. What, what is, what are you looking for?

You know, we have spent down the 50,000 that we were allotted for the last fiscal year. We're already going to do a new contract for another 50,000, but I anticipate this is going to be a lot higher. I will say this, Chair, maybe perhaps in the committee report you can leave it blank. If we get the $50 million in House Bill 431, we think those funds will be sufficient to cover this program.

You can include that in the kauhale spending?

Yes, we can because kauhale funds can be used for what was previously ohana's own funding or other support systems for homeless. It doesn't only have to be for the build out of kauhale. So I would humbly suggest perhaps maybe leaving that blank, and as this bill moves on, this may become a line item in the budget bill or under House Bill 431, but I think that the statute this bill has to go on with or without funding to statutorily put this into statute to make this permanent in our office.

Okay. Would you be comfortable if I took out the appropriation?

We would be, with the committee report noting that the funding could be received from the House Bill 431 or line item in the budget.

Okay. Obviously it can be put back in in the Senate because it's already been there, but I'm just thinking to make it easier for our Finance Chair to understand that this is a statutory change. Another question: the pilot project was three years. Do you still have funding to keep this program, the pilot, going?

No. No. After the--

So you have spent down what you have?

We spent down 50,000 for this past 2024 and we're going to renew the contract for another 50,000, but I anticipate after the six-month period, they're going to need more money because now we're trying to--

So there was only funding for two years?

Correct.

Okay. Okay. All right. Thank you.

And I think that's great strategy to make sure this bill moves--

Yeah, I am supportive, but since it might get wrapped into other services, I will take out the appropriation to make it easier for Finance to feel comfortable passing it.

I think that's a prudent move. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much. Members, any other questions? Okay. Moving on to our last measure, which is relating to supportive housing. It clarifies the funding mechanism for supportive housing pilot program and extend the subset sunset date. First up, we have the statewide office on house homelessness and housing solutions.

Thank you Chair Marten, Vice Chair Olds, distinguished Committee Members. It's very good, bill. I wanted to thank Speaker Nakamura for this introduction. I know we're coming under a time constraint. I don't want to take up too much time because I see Terri here from Fernhurst YWCA. This program has been a hit. It's a pilot program.

It is focused on women. Women. Many of the women are coming out of corrections. They are provided with stability, job training, education, meals. Usually after the nine month or one year period, they are stabilized and ready to go. They move out to permanent support housing or. Or they go back with their families.

This has been an excellent program targeted at our women. Many of them, like I said, coming out of the corrections system. Instead of continuing on with this, I'd rather just say I support strongly this bill. It's an excellent bill. We anticipate that if it continues to be successful, we might open up another Kauhali of this nature.

And I'd like to invite the entire committee of the grand opening and blessing. It's already had a soft opening months ago, probably this month or March. Terri? Yeah, so we'd like to invite all.

Make it during hearing times, please.

Okay, sorry. Not on hearing times though.

Yeah, I would love to go.

Yeah. Thank you very much. And we're thankful for the opportunity to testify in strong support of this very important program. Thank you, Chair.

All right, next up, we have in person, YWCA Oahu, Terri Funakoshi.

Aloha Chair Martin, Vice Chair Olds, and the committee. Thank you for hearing me. I'm testifying in support of Hawaii HB 1420, State Office of Homeless and Housing Solutions supportive housing pilot program.

As you've heard, through the supportive housing pilot program, YWCA Fernhurst has provided 38 women from vulnerable populations with affordable housing and supportive services that are helping them achieve a more stable and productive life. This includes job training, employment support, financial literacy, job retention, professional development, life skills training, case management, resources and referrals. Some key performance indicators.

Since July 1st, 2024 we've served 38 women. 100% of residents have achieved one goal related to self sufficiency. 100% of residents received educational and training opportunities. 97% have secured and maintained employment within the first year of residence.

Some outcomes residents have gained life skills, are making better decisions, maintaining a savings account fund with lots of money, and completing educational programs. Here is a testimony from a resident who moved to Fernhurst from a substance abuse treatment program. When I walked into the doors of Fernhurst, I walked in without a future.

I didn't have the confidence within myself to believe that I deserved a better future. My case manager assisted me with resources I needed to address my mental health issues. She also helped me to learn and further my education and to maintain my employment. Through Fernhurst, I learned to follow a budget and save my money for my future.

It is possible because the program provides my basic necessities to help me get back on my feet. Living at Fernhurst gave my life structure in every way possible. I learned that the only way to get anything done is to have a goal and a purpose. YWCA Oahu has been empowering women in our community for 125 years.

This year we celebrate our 125th anniversary and we are so proud and we believe in this program and we witness successful results that have supported this program. And we totally support Hawaii HB 1420 statewide office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions Supportive Housing pilot program. Thank you very much for hearing my testimony.

Thank you for coming today. Next up, we have the Institute for Human Services.

Aloha. Once again, we stand on our written testimony.

Thank you for that. And next we have AARP Hawaii in support.

Thank you very much. And we have another two individual. No, Hina Mauka and Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition with written testimony in support. Is there anyone else who wishes to testify on this measure? Seeing none. Members, are there any questions for our testifiers? Seeing none, we will move into decision making. And I appreciate everybody's patience today.

So many good programs and so expensive. Okay, so first up, we have HB 224. And my recommendation is for all measures we will defect the date. And when we say defect the date, it is always July 1st, 3000. And in any case where we blank out the appropriation, we will also add that to the committee report.

And any technical amendments means for consistency, clarity and style. So for HB 224, I recommend passing with amendments. And that will be to defect the date. It already has a blank appropriation. And we will add to the committee report.

We will change the language to clarify that DHS, the appropriation will go to DHS and they can divide it amongst their various contracts.

And we will leave the 30% in for now, but we will wait for a recommendation on the amount, amount, a dollar amount in the committee report so that we have some information for our next committee to work with. Members, any comments or questions? Seeing none. Vice Chair for the vote.

Voting on HB 244. Chair's recommendation is to pass with amendments.

[roll call]

Okay, recommendation is adopted.

Thank you very much. Next up, we have HB 1349 relating to Medicaid. I recommend passing with amendments including including defecting the date and including in the committee report the numbers from the DHS testimony on how much the cost will be for each category.

Pregnant is 744,000 of A funds, postpartum is 620,000 of A funds and children with HSI is $2,000,976 in A funds. And that would be for HMS 401 Members, are there any comments or questions? Seeing none. Vice Chair for the vote.

Voting on HB 1349. Chair's recommendation is to pass with amendments. Any Members voting no? Any with reservations? Chair, your recommendation is adopted.

Thank you very much. Next up we have HB 613 relating to homeless youth. With this one some minor amendments specifying the purpose on. Wait a minute. Give me one minute to gather my thoughts. Okay, this bill is very similar to the next one. So we will. In this one, we're going to adopt some language from HB 1101.

We'll replace section 2 of this bill with bill draft with sections 2 and 3 from HB 1101. Specify in the purpose on page 2, line 10 that the funding is for the permanent Safe Spaces for Youth Program in the Office of Youth Services and delete Department of Human Services.

Add in the amounts into the committee report from the testimony which is $871,016 for fiscal year 26 and then the base budget for fiscal year 27 of $7,017,016 and defect the date.

But note in the committee report that to avoid any unintentional gaps between the repeal of the pilot and the establishment of the permanent program, the effective date of the measure should be 6/29/25. Members, are there any questions or comments? Seeing none. Vice Chair for the vote.

Voting on HB613. Chair's recommendation is to pass with amendments. Any members voting no? With reservations? Chair, your recommendation is adopted.

Thank you very much. For HB 1101, we will defer this bill as it is redundant. Moving on to HB 705 relating to the Executive Office on Aging.

I recommend passing with amendments, technical amendments, defecting the date and then in the committee reports noting that they are requesting $100,000 of operating costs for the first year and then will be self sufficient after that. Members, are there any questions or comments? Seeing none. Vice Chair for the vote.

Voting on HB 705. Chair's recommendation is to pass with amendments. Any members voting no? With reservations? Chair, your recommendation is adopted.

Thank you very much. Next up we have HB 327 relating to state child care. This one I recommend just passing with the amendment of defecting the date. Members, are there any questions or comments? Seeing none. Vice Chair for the vote.

Voting on HB 327. Chair's recommendations to pass with amendments. Any members voting no? With reservations? Chair, your recommendation is adopted.

Thank you very much. Next up is HB 324 relating to the baby bonds.

I recommend based on the written testimony from the Department of Human Services broadening this working group instead calling it the Wealth Building Working Group and taking from their test written testimony in addition to baby bonds, adding to the Kuleana of the working group a review of existing similar asset building programs such as the Individual Developmental Accounts established in 1999 and the Hawaii College Savings Plan to see how we can get more use of those programs that are existing and to defect the date.

Members, are there any questions or comments? Seeing none for the vote. Vice Chair.

Voting on HB 324. Chair's recommendation is to pass with amendments. Any members voting no? With reservations? Chair, your recommendation is adopted.

Thank you very much. Next is HB 943 relating to homelessness. For this one I recommend just defecting the date and then we will add to the committee report the proposed funding needed by the Department of Health to establish an additional second location with these services. Members, are there any questions or comments. Seeing none. Vice Chair for the vote.

Voting on HB 943. Chair's recommendation is to pass with amendments. Any members voting no? With reservations? Chair, your recommendation is adopted.

Thank you very much. Next up is HB 212 relating to homelessness.

For this one, I recommend tech amendments and then basically adopting the recommendations from the Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions with their language requiring that they their office be contacted to contact, contact the family or support group and make sure that they have someone to return to.

And secondly that that group or family will pay for half the cost to reduce fraud.

Secondly, I want to adopt the amendment suggested by the Straight Procurement Office now that this will be a permanent program, not a pilot program, to make sure it is in compliance with chapters 103D and 103F and to defect the date. Members, are there any questions or comments? Seeing none. Vice Chair for the vote.

Voting on HB 212. Chair's recommendation is to pass with amendments. Any members voting no? With reservations? Chair recommendation is adopted.

Thank you very much. Next up we have HB 1420. Well I 100% support this bill at the request of the author who will be amending the majority package Kaulhali bill to wrap this into it. We will be deferring this measure. With that, we are adjourned.