Bill > HB613

This bill makes the Safe Spaces for Youth Pilot Program a permanent program within the Office of Youth Services, designed to provide shelter and support for homeless youth and young adults aged 18-24 across Hawaii. The program will require collaboration between various state and county departments, including education, corrections, health, human services, and law enforcement, to identify and place homeless youth in shelters. The bill authorizes the Office of Youth Services to contract with nonprofit organizations to provide shelters that offer 24/7 services such as overnight lodging, meals, medical and behavioral health services, and education and employment support. Notably, the bill allows shelters to admit youth under 18 for up to 90 days without parental consent and mandates that youth under 18 and young adults aged 18-24 be housed separately. The Office of Youth Services will be required to submit annual reports to the Legislature and is appropriated $871,016 for fiscal year 2025-2026 and $1,841,016 for fiscal year 2026-2027 to implement and sustain the program, with the first state-funded shelter planned to open on the island of Hawaii.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services, Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=613&year=2025