RECOGNIZING the inherent worth and dignity of every human being, we hold that access to habitable, affordable, non-transient housing is a fundamental right in a just society.

WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of people throughout this continent are homeless and living in the streets; and

WHEREAS, current US governmental policies restrict and eliminate programs that have assisted local governments and communities in developing low-cost housing; and

WHEREAS, public and private policies are causing deterioration of the affordable housing supply through withdrawal of funds necessary for maintenance, through “up-scaling” of low-rent dwellings, through exclusionary zoning and other means; and

WHEREAS, making shelter available to all who are in need can best be achieved by combined efforts of the government and the private sector; and

WHEREAS, the search for long-term solutions to homelessness must address the growing scarcity of housing for persons receiving low incomes;

WHEREAS, we recognize that homelessness is just a symptom of a larger, systemic societal issue,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: Than The First Unitarian Church of Honolulu affirms the provision of suitable non-transient housing as a just and achievable goal, and calls upon its members to:

1. Work on the establishment and continuation of programs to assist the homeless on the local, state, provincial and national levels;
2. Participate in community cooperative efforts to identify and support creative approaches in developing housing for persons receiving low incomes;
3. Encourage the development of appropriate community-based housing for chronically mentally ill persons;
4. Encourage the development of sufficient appropriate substance abuse treatment programs,
5. Work to provide not only emergency short-term shelter such as billeting in our homes and churches, shelter space, but also intermediate-term communal housing that will assure privacy and dignity for persons in need, as well as long-term permanent housing for individuals and families, recognizing the wide range of personal needs among the homeless;
6. Explore and support preventive approaches to the problems of homelessness among families, the de-institutionalized, the unemployed, the disabled, the elderly, runaways, and victims of abuse; and
7. Advocate legislation at the state, provincial, and national levels which will alleviate the immediate misery of homelessness while also addressing its precipitating and long-term causes.

Passed: April 17, 1988     Reaffirmed: Nov. 18, 2012 Edited and Proposed: Nov. 6, 2017