Housing

Given Welfare Reform and Nearly 38,000 Unemployed Workers, Here Is A List of Things That Can Be Done To Prevent Massive Homelessness

1. Protect homeless services against legislative or administrative cuts! Homeless services took big cuts in funding during the recession. Now they fear they will have to lay off staff and provide fewer services just when the need is greatest.
   There is also an immediate need for more case managers. Needs letters to the editor, advocacy with governor and legislature.
2. Increase homeless outreach services to especially target the newly homeless i.e. displaced workers, underemployed and families affected by welfare reform. Needs grants or advocacy for state funds.
3. Increase information and referral by putting together a list of resources, which can be handed out at churches, social service agencies and by homeless outreach workers. Needs volunteer to put together and churches to print.
4. Open churches, community centers, schools, and parks to homeless individuals or families. People are or will be in crisis. The shelters are filled. Churches etc. with space could become emergency places to stay or live for homeless families or displaced workers. Needs space, faith and volunteers.
5. The Governor can extend federal welfare cash assistance to families by three months. This would give more opportunity for families to find jobs or places to live. To date the Governor has not done this. We need to do this to provide relief to families during this crisis. Needs advocacy with DHS and the Governor.
6. The Department of Human Services is planning to assist working families who were also receiving welfare benefits until this month. The Dept. will be making a $200 cash supplement for families working a minimum of 20 hours a week. In Hawaii many employers hire part-time workers for 18 hours a week. A rule change to make the minimum hours 18 rather than 20 would help many families.
   DHS doesn't want to change because caters to allowing employers to under-employ people in order to not pay health insurance. Needs advocacy.
7. Some displaced workers and also families cut from welfare can't afford the program fee required to get into transitional housing. The state needs to subsidize units of transitional housing so that workers and families can get into these programs if there is an opening. Needs legislative advocacy.
8. A rent supplement program which provides supplements of up to $500 (?) a month for displaced workers who have some income, from work or unemployment, but not enough to cover rent and other needs. The amount received would depend upon income and rent levels. The supplement would be time limited and would terminate once the recipient is back to full time work. Needs a bill, rule changes and legislative advocacy.
9. An allocation to the state rent grant and loan program wherein a displaced worker who has lost housing or who needs a deposit in order to downsize can get a one time stipend to pay for security deposit/and or first month's rent. It could also be used as a one-time stipend to make up back rent so the recipient can remain in housing. Legislative Advocacy Needed
10. Vacant hotel rooms could be contracted at reduced rates to provide temporary shelter. Existing services could provide case management to the families if the state would increase the number of staff positions. This would be far less costly than opening new shelter and has been done in other parts of the country during recessions. Needs advocacy with DHS, Governor, Legislature?
11. There is a need for increased tolerance of people who are homeless as the numbers grow. Mayors of counties, the police and other government entities need to realize that we are in a crisis and people must be allowed to get a good night's sleep in a park or other public place. There isn't enough shelter to house even half of the people who are already homeless.
12. Increase affordable housing inventory: The higher priced units in city owned mixed income housing sit empty resulting in a loss to the city coffers. This housing could have lowered rents (to the level of the lowest rent in the mixed income rentals) and could be advertised and rented to displaced workers who need to downsize. As their incomes improve so would their rent until back to the original level. Needs advocacy with City councilors, dept. heads and Mayor.
13. Increase affordable housing inventory: Public housing in Hawaii is in a terrible condition due to what the department calls "deferred maintenance." Many units are empty. State bonds should be used to repair the housing with a first priority to fixing up and renting the empty units. These units could be prioritized for homeless families in shelter or transitional housing so that more families could get into shelter. This program would create jobs, repair housing, provide increased housing, and put more rent money into the state coffers or into a special fund to repay the bonds. Needs advocacy with the governor and the legislature.
14. Increase government bonds for the state Rental Housing Trust Fund. These moneys are used by non-profit developers to produce or purchase and rehab housing that is affordable for people with incomes under 50% of median. Much of the money is used to build transitional housing, senior housing and housing for people with disabilities. Needs advocacy with the governor and the legislature.

(posted 12.12.01)