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Panel votes to make 'return-to-home' program permanent after officials cite cost savings and reunions
Summary
The committee adopted HB212 to establish a permanent return-to-home program in the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions and to add a staff position; the office said the pilot has reunited more than 800 people with families and saved the state $11.2 million.
The committee voted to adopt HB212 on Feb. 6, which would make permanent a return-to-home program that arranges travel for people experiencing homelessness to reunite with family or support groups in other states or territories.
Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions director John Mizuno described the program’s results: as of Jan. 19, 2025, the program had returned 137 people to the Mainland under the current count cited in testimony for this session and the office referenced a historical total of roughly 800 people returned over the program’s history with a reported return rate under 2%. Director Mizuno and witnesses estimated program-related savings to Hawaii taxpayers of about $11.2 million, based on avoided emergency and high-cost service use.
Mizuno and providers said the program’s safeguards include contacting a receiving family or support group on the Mainland and requiring the receiving family to share some cost to reduce fraud. The office proposed two friendly amendments for the committee: (1) require that the receiving family/support group be contacted and expressly willing to accept the individual, and (2) ask that the family or support group pay half the return flight cost to deter misuse.
Committee members discussed whether other states send people to Hawaii and cited past incidents involving New York and Alaska; Director Mizuno said he had previously contacted federal authorities when out-of-state programs attempted indiscriminate relocations. The committee adopted technical amendments suggested by procurement staff for making the program permanent and voted to pass HB212 with amendments to require contact with receiving families and the cost-sharing provision as an anti-fraud measure.
Ending: HB212 advances with amendments to make the return-to-home program permanent, add one full-time position to shepherd the program statewide, require contact and acceptance by receiving families/support groups, and include a cost-sharing expectation (payment of half the return flight) to reduce fraud; the committee noted the program has reunited hundreds and generated estimated taxpayer savings.
