Bill Text: HI SR202 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requesting The Governor, In Collaboration With The County Of Maui, To Provide A Clear Strategy For Addressing The Short And Long-term Housing Needs For Residents Displaced By The August 2023 Maui Wildfires.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-04-04 - Report and Resolution Adopted. [SR202 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2024-SR202-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.R. NO. |
202 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE RESOLUTION
Requesting the GOVERNOR, in collaboration with the County of Maui, to provide a clear strategy for addressing the short and long-term housing needs for residents displaced by the August 2023 maui wildfires.
WHEREAS, the devastating August 2023 Maui wildfires have left thousands of residents displaced from their homes; and
WHEREAS, the housing crisis on Maui had already been creating housing instability and shortages for Maui families; and
WHEREAS, those displaced from their homes by the August 2023 Maui wildfires include an estimated one thousand six hundred renters; and
WHEREAS, the majority of those displaced have expressed a desire to live in an area geographically close to where their residences were prior to the wildfires; and
WHEREAS, there are significant differing needs in housing for displaced residents including owners of single-family homes, units in multi-unit dwellings and condominiums, and renters; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's housing relief is currently providing temporary rental assistance to displaced families; and
WHEREAS, meeting the need for additional affordable rental housing is critical to ensure that renters have a place to rent as federal aid subsides; and
WHEREAS, the County of Maui plays a significant role in accelerating the development of affordable rental housing through expedited permitting and infrastructure development; and
WHEREAS, the County of Maui can purchase or condemn property for the construction of temporary housing that can serve as a bridge for renters until long-term affordable rental housing is constructed; and
WHEREAS, the State has authority over land use and additional state planning; and
WHEREAS, in December 2023, the Governor and the Department of Human Services (DHS) announced the launch of the DHS Rental Assistance Program (RAP) specifically to help survivors of the August 2023 Maui wildfires who do not qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance; and
WHEREAS, the Governor has also identified multiples sites for housing development to assist survivors of the August 2023 Maui wildfires, including Kalaiola project, to be developed by DHS on a state-owned parcel near Lahaina Civic Center where development of a master-planned Villages of Lealii has been long stalled, and the Haggai International Institute's Mid-Pacific Center in Kihei to be purchased by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) as a temporary housing site; and
WHEREAS, the Governor has identified additional HHFDC sites on Maui for permanent housing, including Kaiaulu o Kukuia, Kaiaulu o Kupuohi, Mahinahina Hills, and Front Street Apartments in West Maui; and
WHEREAS, the Hawaii Public Housing Authority has property within the burn zone that could be utilized for repopulation efforts for displaced residents who are eligible; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the Governor, in collaboration with the County of Maui, is hereby requested to provide a clear strategy for addressing the short- and long-term housing needs for residents displaced by the August 2023 Maui wildfires; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the housing strategies are requested to include:
(1) Specific projects, construction deadlines, and opening dates for units that meet the needs of residents as it relates to the projected conclusion of the Federal Emergency Management Agency mission;
(2) Clear maps detailing the geographic location of proposed projects, existing and needed infrastructure capacity, and existing or needed entitlements;
(3) Breakouts on units needed for each sub-category of displaced households including but not limited to owners of single-family homes, units in multi-unit dwellings and condominiums, and renters;
(4) Details on the necessary infrastructure for new housing construction;
(5) County plans to expedite entitlements for housing construction for displaced victims; and
(6) Temporary waivers of state land use requirements that would help expedite construction of housing for displaced families; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County of Maui is requested to consider expediting its permitting by establishing a separate disaster recovery and response permitting office; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the projects in the West Maui region are requested to be prioritized including Lahaina Recreational Center, Maui Land and Pineapple lands in Napili, and Front Street; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the housing strategies are requested to be completed by May 31, 2024, to maximize federal disaster aid and recovery; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the status reports on the implementation of the housing strategies are requested to be provided to the Legislature every quarter; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Mayor of the County of Maui, Director of Human Services, Executive Director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, and Executive Director of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.
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OFFERED BY: |
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The Office of the Governor, the County of Maui, Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, Housing, Public Housing
