Report Title:

Uniform Demographics Data Collection

 

Description:

Requires the Department of Human Services, in cooperation with the Department of Health, to form a task force to evaluate what types of data would help homeless advocates provide services to the homeless, how the data should be collected, and how it should be reported.

 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1580

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT


 

 

relating to data collection.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that uniform data collection is essential in the battle against homelessness.  Social service providers need access to uniformly collected data, to enable them to tailor their services to their target populations, helping them determine what services in what quantity are needed for the various populations of homeless. 

     Currently, social service programs that help homeless persons each collect and tabulate data with no uniformity on what kinds of data are collected, how the data are collected, or how the data are used.  This makes it difficult if not impossible to combine the data for use by the various programs.  Recently the San Diego County Regional Task Force on the Homeless has begun developing a standardized data collection system for tracking homeless clients under a project recently funded by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development's Supportive Housing Program.

     The purpose of this Act is to establish the task force on the homeless to evaluate what types of data would help homeless advocates provide services to the homeless, how the data should be collected, and how it should be reported.

     SECTION 2.  The department of human services, in cooperation with the department of health, shall establish a task force with representatives from all counties from a broad range of homeless service organizations and advocates for the homeless including:

(1)    The department of human services;

(2)    The department of health;

(3)    The Hawaii public housing authority;

(4)    The Institute of Human Services;

(5)    Catholic Charities;

(6)    The United Way;

(7)    River of Life Mission;

(8)    The Salvation Army;

(9)    Child and Family Services;

    (10)  Gregory House; and

    (11)  The Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center.

     The goal of the task force on the homeless shall be to provide a coordinated approach to problems experienced by the homeless with the aid of a centralized data collection system.  In designing the system the task force shall examine data collection systems of other jurisdictions and identify Hawaii's information and service needs.  The task force shall design a system that provides comprehensive, detailed information about the homeless in Hawaii that can be used by the various advocates for the homeless to enable them to provide efficient and timely services to those who need them.  It should also be designed to pinpoint gaps in the continuum of care for homeless individuals so that adjustments can be made to close these gaps. 

     The system shall collect information such as:

(1)    The number of homeless individuals in the state;

(2)    Where the homeless are located;

(3)    Where beds are available for the homeless;

(4)    Where services are available for the homeless;

(5)    Whether homeless individuals have family members in the state; and

(6)    Other information needed by the various service providers.

     The data shall be collected and organized in a manner that will allow the issues of homelessness to be addressed on both a statewide and localized basis.

     SECTION 3.  No later than twenty days before the beginning of the regular legislative session of 2010, the task force on the homeless shall report its progress to the legislature, including its membership.  No later than twenty days before the beginning of the regular legislative session of 2011 and every two years thereafter, the task force on the homeless shall report on its success in responding to the needs of the homeless including data reports on homeless counts, locations, beds and services of all types, gaps in the continuum of care, and any other information that has been uniformly collected on the homeless and how the data has been used to improve services for the homeless.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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