‘Return-to-Home program’ proposed for homeless people to return to their home states

A bill introduced by 13 representatives in the state House calls for establishing a permanent “Return-to-Home program” with an as yet undetermined amount of funding to return homeless people in Hawaiʻi to their home states.

House Bill 212 would make a pilot program with the Institute for Human Services on Oʻahu permanent, calling it “a success” after it returned more than 100 homeless individuals back to their home states.

The measure would require the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions to institute Return-to-Home a program, with as-yet-undetermined funding and a requirement that the office report progress to the Legislature.

Additional manpower would help further the program, the bill says.

Participation in the program would be “completely voluntary” and allow eligible homeless individuals to be reunited with family and relatives in their home state. The program can be administered by contracting with nonprofit and for-profit organizations or foundations.

Eligible individuals would include those who are indigent and lack the financial resources to return home, or those — if on parole, probation or awaiting a court hearing or sentencing — have proper clearance from the court to participate in the program.

Individuals may get paid to return home one time only, under the bill.

The program would give people returning home assistance with necessary and proper preparations for travel, including obtaining proper identification, accessing public transportation to the airport, providing orientation to airport security and ensuring sufficient personal hygiene.

The program would actively seek the participation of local airlines, cruise lines, charter companies, homeless programs, travel agencies and the visitor industry for coordination and implementation.

The bill doesn’t address the anticipated cost of the program, and the amount of its appropriation is left blank. However, in his State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Josh Green said that many homeless people can only get medical care in local hospital emergency rooms. In that situation, the cost to care for a homeless person in Hawai‘i is an average of $82,000 per person per year — “and when they are discharged, they go right back on the streets where they get sick or injured again.”

Green promoted his kauhale village approach to homelessness, which is to provide communal villages of tiny homes to homeless people. He said “housing is healthcare” and that enables the state to “break this vicious cycle by putting people in inexpensive, tiny homes after they’re discharged from emergency rooms.”

After six months in permanent housing, healthcare costs for homeless people drops 76% to an average of $1,965, the governor said.

Maui County Rep. Mahina Poepoe of Molokaʻi is among more than a dozen introducers of House Bill 212. Others are Oʻahu Reps. Adrian Tam, Kim Coco Iwamoto, Darius Kila, Rachele Lamosao, Lisa Marten, Scot Matayoshi, Ikaika Olds, Gregg Takayama, Jenna Takenouchi; and Matthias Kusch, David Tarnas and Chris Todd of Hawaiʻi Island.

The bill has passed first reading and has been referred to the House Committee on Human Services & Homelessness, chaired by Marten and vice-chaired by Olds. It’s also been referred to the House Finance Committee, chaired by Upcountry Rep. Kyle Yamashita. Takenouchi is vice chair of that committee.

Thursday was the deadline for lawmakers to introduce bills.