THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

71

THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of hawaiian home lands to identify resources needed TO EXECUTE A PLAN TO REPAIR HOMES FOR SAFE HABITATION.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands endeavors to provide housing to applicants on its waitlist but has limited land assets with the necessary infrastructure for housing; and

 

     WHEREAS, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands properties in already-developed communities may be unoccupied for various reasons, including a pending transfer or the inability of lessees to afford to maintain the home, thereby rendering the home unlivable or unsafe; and

 

     WHEREAS, these properties and the infrastructure developed for these properties are not only failing to achieve their intended purpose but also, when abandoned, change the character of the community and pose a safety hazard for neighborhood residents, as these unoccupied properties are sometimes taken over by squatters; and

 

     WHEREAS, unoccupied properties, if repaired, have the potential to house the existing lessees or new lessees of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is requested to identify resources needed to execute a plan that:

 

     (1)  Systematically identifies unoccupied Department of Hawaiian Homes Lands properties in disrepair to confirm the occupancy status, lease status, and reasons for the current status;

 

     (2)  Assists current lessees in assessing what repairs are needed to make their homes safe and habitable;

 

     (3)  Connects identified lessees who are in need of help with applicable sources of funding, such as the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996;

 

     (4)  Manages alternative sources of funding;

 

     (5)  Follows up to facilitate and expedite pending lease transfers; and

 

     (6)  Conducts contested case hearings, as needed; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Hawaiian Homes Lands is requested to submit a report of its findings and the resources identified to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; Identification of Resources; Report to Legislature