|
Testimony on H.B. 2072, H.D.1 Relating to Social Welfare |
|
House of Representatives Bill No. HB2072, H.D. 1, RELATING TO SOCIAL WELFARE. Testimony of Claire Woods, Hawaii Together The Honorable Dwight Takamine, Chair, and Members of the Finance Committee: I am Claire Woods, testifying on behalf of Hawaii Together, the volunteer task force appointed by Governor Cayetano to pull the statewide community together to address the human/social welfare issues arising out of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the subsequent economic downturn in Hawaii. I have served for the past six months as chair of Hawaii Together's Service Delivery Subcommittee, which was tasked with understanding the needs of the community and making recommendations regarding those issues most needing community attention. I am also employed as the Executive Director of Family Treatment Services for The Salvation Army. Hawaii Together strongly supports H.B. 2072 HD1. The task force has adopted the prevention of homelessness as a key priority to minimizing the negative effects of September 11 on our community. H.B. 2072 HD1 is intended to provide state financial assistance to individuals who are currently at risk of losing their current housing. Hawaii Together supported the adoption of Act 1, Third Special Session of 2002, which allowed the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii (HCDCH) to create the EAGL fund, which has helped hundreds of individuals throughout the state remain in their homes. As previously recommended in the Third Special Session of 2001, we encourage the state to utilize as much as possible the existing network of agencies that comprise the Emergency Food and Shelter Program infrastructure to distribute the funds statewide. We feel this is the most efficient way to distribute the funds. We would also suggest that the language of the bill be amended to clarify that reasonable administrative fees may be paid. Although the House Committee on Human Services and Housing notes in Stand. Com. Rep. No. 81-02 that it has made changes allowing funds to be used for administrative purposes, the language is not explicit. In particular, reasonable administrative fees should be allowed for providers responsible for distributing the funds at the community level. Because of the increase in the number of individuals requesting assistance, providers have had a difficult time keeping up with the much higher demand for help since September 11 with their existing staff resources. This has had the unintended effect of slowing the distribution of funds to those in need. Following September 11, many funding sources chose to restrict the use of their funds solely to the benefit of individuals seeking assistance without regard for the increased workload demands created by the September 11 tragedy and economic downturn. While this is an understandable sentiment, the simple reality is that, as with any other endeavor, resources must be invested to support the infrastructure that provides services. The lack of support for administrative resources in the nonprofit sector is a significant problem that has serious negative impacts on the broader community and those we intend to serve. Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of H.B. 2072, H.D. 1. Please feel free to contact me at 258-5446 if I or any other members of Hawaii can assist you with further questions and/or data. We encourage decision makers to access Hawaii Together's website for the most current data available to us regarding social conditions in Hawaii. The website and listserv may be accessed at http://hawaiitogether.Hawaii.edu.
Claire W. Woods |