Report Title:

Ka Hale Pono petition to DHHL

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

118

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

SUPPORTING PROJECT KA HALE PONO'S PETITION TO the DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS FOR A PARCEL OF LAND TO BUILD A YOUTH CENTER.

 

 

WHEREAS, the community of Anahola on the island of Kauai has expressed serious concerns for its youth over the issues of poor school performance, substance abuse, and family dysfunction; and

WHEREAS, the concerns of Anahola, where approximately three-quarters of its residents are Native Hawaiian, are representative of the issues plaguing and preventing empowerment of Native Hawaiians in communities throughout Hawai‘i; and

WHEREAS, through a series of meetings, the community of Anahola articulated the need for a safe haven for youth to study and learn, for adults to participate in job training and skills building, and for families to come together and network with each other; and

WHEREAS, Anahola Based Community Development, a partnership between the community of Anahola and Department of Hawaiian Homelands, Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center, Ho‘ola Lahui Hawai‘i, Kapa‘a Middle School, Habitat for Humanity, Alu Like, Sandwich Isle Communications, and Kauai Community College, proposes to complete the construction of a Youth Center that will highlight proven successful programs that serve Native Hawaiian youth and their families who live in the Anahola region; and

WHEREAS, Anahola Based Community Development has named this "Project Ka Hale Pono"; and

WHEREAS, Project Ka Hale Pono intends to address the needs identified by the Anahola community with the following activities:

(1) Construction of a youth center;

(2) After-school program for high-risk middle school youth;

(3) Designation of a computer lab in the youth center;

(4) Computer training for youth and adults;

(5) On-going job training and placement for community members;

(6) Health services;

(7) Hawaiian language classes;

(8) College financial aid opportunities

(9) Income tax assistance;

(10) Life skills training;

and

WHEREAS, the construction of a youth center and provision of the above programs are designed to result in the following outcomes:

(1) At least fifty percent of youth participating in the program will reduce their school absenteeism by twenty percent;

(2) At least fifty percent of youth participating in the program will improve their grade point average during the twenty-three months of the program's operation;

(3) Seventy five percent of all middle and high school youth in the community and their families will be informed of college opportunities and financial aid;

(4) At least fifty percent of adults participating in the center's computer training program will upgrade their computer skills and be more competitive in the job market;

and

WHEREAS, the above-named agencies and organizations plan to work cooperatively to seek federal funds to complete the construction of the youth center and provide in-kind support to achieve the center's objectives; and

WHEREAS, Anahola Based Community Development in partnership with Kauai Community College through the Housing and Development's Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Programs proposes to complete the construction of a youth center; and

WHEREAS, the executive committee of Anahola Based Community Development is in the process of determining the ideal location that will consider the following:

(1) The site will be situated near the future location of many family home sites;

(2) Infrastructure is nearby;

(3) The site is away from Kuhio Highway;

(4) The site can accommodate future expansion;

(5) The site is not in a flood zone; and

(6) The site is already designated for community development;

now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, that this body supports Project Ka Hale Pono's petition to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for a parcel of land to build the youth center; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Hawaii's congressional delegation, the Governor, the Mayor of Kauai, the Kauai County Council Members, the Chairperson of Hawaiian Homes Commission, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Superintendent of Education, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Provost of Kauai Community College, the Principals of Kapa'a High School and Kapa‘a Middle School, the Director of the Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center, the Director of the Habitat for Humanity, the Director at Alu Like, the Director at Sandwich Isle Communications, and Ho‘ola Lahui Hawai‘i.

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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