Calling this meeting to order.

The meeting is being held in the Gilo chambers.

We do have our outlying sites of it available to the public as well.

Joining us today in the Hilo Chambers, we have Councilmember Kimball, Councilmember Govimba, Councilmember Viegus, Councilmember Kagiwana, Inaba.

And we have floating around Council members Onishi and Kirkowitz and then Kona, we have joining us today, Councilmember Houstis.

Mr.

Clerk.

Oh, you know, for the public today coming in to testify, uh, we're gonna start with Bill 192.

Uh so for those of you wanting to testify, I would suggest testifying now because we're gonna start with that item because you were thinking about starting when the starting your testimony when the bill is heard, it's gonna be the first one.

So if you can, uh let's start with all the testimony for bill 192 or any other item on the agenda today.

Um, but due to the number of people we have and us being behind schedule today, uh, pursuant to rule 12 of the council's rules of procedure, and as chair of the committee, I'm gonna limit testimony time to two minutes per person instead of the usual three.

Uh so thank you for being uh patient with us today as we try and get back on schedule.

Uh so Mr.

RSL, if we could go to public testimony and then we'll jump to Bill 192 when you're ready.

Thank you so much, Chair.

With that, just like to note that everyone requesting to testify today is testifying on Bill 192.

With that, we'll start with our first testifiers via Zoom, and then we will come back to our testifiers here in Hilo.

First of which is Michelle Manalo to be followed by Les Estrella.

Michelle, when you're ready to begin, you can unmute, introduce yourself, and you'll have the two minutes that the chair has designated.

Thank you.

Aloha, Chair Kanya, Lee, Kleinfelder, and members of the Hawaii County Council Finance Committee.

My name is Michelle Manalo.

I am the senior finance officer with Going Home Hawaii and co-chair of the Justice Lived Experience Advisory Group.

Today I am speaking as someone with lived experience.

I strongly support Bill 192 and the continuation of the homelessness and housing fund.

I understand personally how important it is for someone to have support and stability when they are trying to change their life.

When someone is experiencing homelessness, coming out of incarceration, working through recovery, or simply trying to start over, housing is imperative.

Without a safe and stable place to live, it becomes much harder to focus on everything else that is needed to move forward.

Finding employment, maintaining recovery, reconnecting with family, meeting responsibilities, and becoming a productive member of the community.

My own lived experiences help shape the work that I do today.

I have had the opportunity to move forward in my own life, and now I am in a position where I can give back and advocate for others who are facing many of the same barriers.

Through my work with Going Home Hawaii and J League, I continue to see how important housing and supportive services are for people transitioning back into our communities.

When people are given stability, resources, and an opportunity to succeed, we can help break the cycle of homelessness and incarceration and reduce the likelihood of people returning to the justice system.

30 seconds, please.

Thank you.

For me, this is more than funding.

These are real people, real families, and real lives.

I know what it means to need an opportunity, and I know when what can happen when someone is given one.

I strongly support Bill 192 and asks you to continue the homelessness and housing fund, preserve these critical services, and require transparent reporting so our community can continue to see the impact of this investment.

Mahalo for allowing me to share my voice, my experience, and my support for Bill 192.

Thank you so much for your testimony.

Chair, your next testifiers are Les Estrella to be followed by Dr.

Hannah Preston Peter.

Les when you're ready to begin, please introduce yourself and you'll have two minutes.

I am here in strong support of Bill 192.

I also submitted written testimony for your consideration today.

Wanted to focus on what the homelessness and housing fund is actually doing in our community.

I understand why the council and the public want to see results.

Our staff works directly in downtown Hilo, where homelessness affects not only people living without shelter, but businesses, workers, families, police, and first responders.

During the first six months of this year, our Hilo and Corner Housing Programs received 260 referrals of those.

237 involved people who were homeless at risk of homeless or expected to become homeless upon release from our Hilo jail.

That is more than nine out of every 10 people referred to us.

Our justice navigator works daily in downtown Gilo with businesses and community policing, addressing problems early and helping reduce arrest and repeat arrest.

This is upstream work.

We are interrupting a cycle between homelessness, emergency services, and the justice system.

When someone moves from a sidewalk or park into housing, that is a real outcome.

And when that person remains housed and stable, the entire community benefits.

For many of the people we serve, employment becomes another important step towards long-term stability and independence.

We also have to count 30 people who are no longer living in our parks and downtown areas.

The people who avoided homelessness and the people who are now housed, working and rebuilding their lives.