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If a homeless person wants to reunite with family or friends outside Hawaii who commit to help them get back on their feet, it’s to the state’s benefit to help them get there. On Wednesday, Gov. Josh Green signed House Bill 1366, now Act 94, authorizing a three-year pilot program to do just that.
The completely voluntary program provides help with arrangements and payment for travel; participants or families pay half the cost of transport, unless indigent, and Act 94 specifies that the private entity contracted to run the effort will match the state’s funding, dollar-for-dollar. The Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association ran a similar program 2014-2019, helping 744 people.
