THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

13

TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO DETERMINE THE BEST PRACTICES FOR COLLECTING, STORING, AND SHARING DATA ON HOMELESS YOUTH.

 

 


     WHEREAS, Act 105, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, as amended by Act 76, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, finds that homelessness is a complex and multifaceted issue requiring planning, coordination implementation, and funding across federal, state, local, business, and community lines; and

 

     WHEREAS, section 346-381(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes, provides that "[t]he Hawaii interagency council on homelessness shall:

 

     (1)  Serve as the statewide homelessness planning and policy development entity with broad representation from state and county government and the community;

 

     (2)  Formulate, and advise the governor on the implementation of, a unified ten-year statewide plan to address homelessness in all Hawaii counties;

 

     (3)  Facilitate the acquisition of funding and resources for state and county homeless programs;

 

     (4)  Recommend policy, regulatory, and statutory changes, and identify resource strategies for the successful execution of the ten-year plan;

 

     (5)  Assemble accurate fiscal and demographic information to support policy development and track outcomes;

 

     (6)  Consider collaborative homelessness initiatives of other states that have demonstrated positive measurable outcomes as possible models for state and local programs;

 

     (7)  Promote systems integration and of social, health, training, and housing services to reduce duplication among homeless assistance programs;

 

     (8)  Advise on the development and implementation of a public education program on homelessness in Hawaii and disseminate information including data and best practices; and

 

     (9)  Report annually to the governor, the legislature, and the mayor of each county on the progress of its activities, including formulation and progress of the ten-year plan no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session."; and

 

     WHEREAS, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, in its 2013 report, Framework to End Youth Homelessness, provides that we know too little about the scale and nature of youth homelessness.  Currently used estimates of youth homelessness are important contributions to the knowledge base but are outdated and have significant limitations; and

 

     WHEREAS, no single system of services alone can meet the various and wide-ranging needs of every homeless youth, so it is crucial for the multiple state departments to work together and address these needs; and

 

     WHEREAS, currently, the Department of Education, in its Longitudinal Data System, the DOE McKinney-Vento Compliance Office, the Department of Housing and Urban Development through its Homeless Management Information System, and the Department of the Attorney General maintain some youth homeless data, but limited data is being shared across offices and departments; and

 

     WHEREAS, thoughtful policy decisions can best be made when they are informed by accurate and timely data; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness is requested to convene a task force for the purpose of identifying data points most useful for identifying and assessing the homeless youth population in the State and designing a system for collecting, consolidating, securing, and sharing that data across departments; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to include:

 

     (1)  The Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness or the Coordinator's designee;

 

     (2)  The State Chief Information Officer or the Chief Information Officer's designee;

 

     (3)  The Superintendent of Education or the Superintendent's designee;

 

     (4)  The State McKinney-Vento Program Liaison or the Liaison's designee;

 

     (5)  The Director of Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education or the Director's designee;

 

     (6)  The Hawaii Center on the Family Director or the Director's designee;

 

     (7)  The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development;

 

     (8)  The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness;

 

     (9)  The Hawaii County Homeless Coordinator;

 

    (10)  The Maui County Homeless Coordinator;

 

    (11)  The Kauai County Homeless Coordinator;

 

    (12)  The City and County of Honolulu Homeless Coordinator;

 

    (13)  The Executive Director of Hawaii Youth Services Network or the Executive Director's designee;

 

    (14)  The Chief Executive Officer of Hale Kipa or the Chief Executive Officer's designee;

 

    (15)  The Chief Executive Officer of Maui Youth and Family Services or the Chief Executive Officer's designee;

 

    (16)  The Divisional Leader of Salvation Army Family Intervention Services;

 

    (17)  The Executive Director of Hale Opio Kauai Inc. or the Executive Director's designee;

 

    (18)  The Chief Executive Officer of Waikiki Health or the Chief Executive Officer's designee;

 

    (19)  The Executive Director of Family Support Hawaii or the Executive Director's designee;

 

    (20)  The Executive Director of PHOCUSED or the Executive Director's designee;

 

    (21)  One currently homeless youth from the community to be selected by the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness; and

 

    (22)  One formerly homeless youth from the community to be selected by the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, in a report to the Governor and the Legislature twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2016; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, State Chief Information Officer, Superintendent of Education, Hawaii County Homeless Coordinator, Maui County Homeless Coordinator, Kauai County Homeless Coordinator, City and County of Honolulu Homeless Coordinator, State McKinney-Vento Program Liaison, Director of Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education, Hawaii Center on the Family Director, Executive Director of Hawaii Youth Services Network, Chief Executive Officer of Hale Kipa, Chief Executive Officer of Maui Youth and Family Services, Divisional Leader of Salvation Army Family Intervention Services, Executive Director of Hale Opio Kauai Inc., Chief Executive Officer of Waikiki Health, Executive Director of Family Support Hawaii, and Executive Director of PHOCUSED.

Report Title: 

Homelessness Working Group; Interagency Council