As House Bill 1187 — also known as "Homeless return home" — moves forward, it is important to clarify the intention of this bill. Many have perceived it as a blank check to send all our homeless to the Mainland. It is actually only for special circumstances.

As the chairwoman of the Housing Committee faced with Hawai'i's rising homeless crisis, I realized that we needed to find creative solutions to this complex problem. I wanted to hear from the experts so I held an informational briefing, inviting all of Hawai'i's nonprofit homeless services providers.

They informed us that they already do send stranded homeless back to the Mainland. These are people who may have come here trying to escape the bitter cold of winter, to only realize that even in Hawai'i it is still miserable to be homeless.

There are an estimated 1,500 people who could benefit from this program. And it could save the state as much as $52 million per year. Each homeless person costs us between $35,000 to $45,000 — not including the cost of other related impacts, such as a negative image of our islands that affects tourism and additional police enforcement. Homeless shelters charge the state an average of $39.99 per person per night. Additionally, in 2008, the governor made an emergency proposal to build homeless shelters costing $15 million.

To run this cost-saving program would require only $75,000 per year for a two-year pilot program. Only bona fide homeless, with verified ties on the Mainland willing to accept them, would be allowed to participate. Social service agencies would buy the airplane ticket and clothes for travel, transport the homeless to the airport, and give them pocket money.

Some of my colleagues here at the House of Representatives have expressed concern that other states would do the same, and send their homeless here. First of all, I do not believe that California or any other state would want to engage in "homeless wars" with us. It costs a lot more to buy an airplane ticket to Hawai'i than a bus ticket to Las Vegas or Phoenix. It would not be in their best interest to choose Hawai'i as the recipient of unwanted homeless.

Another concern is that many of these people have mental health problems; therefore, as the "Aloha State," we need to treat them before sending them away. First of all, mental health treatment can take years, if not a lifetime. Additionally, we are already having difficulty taking care of our residents' mental health needs and aren't in a position to also treat people from other states. The governor has proposed to decrease FY 2010's adult mental health budget by $8.8 million. But the bottom line is — these people want to go home. The intent of HB 1187 is to support their wishes and be able to take better care of our 'ohana.

Some argue that this is not the solution to homelessness. I agree — it is a only a small component. Darlene Hein of the Waikiki Health Center described an event in which the police department called asking them to purchase a ticket for a heroin addict who wanted to return to his mother, but couldn't afford to buy a ticket. This is the perfect candidate for the return-to-home program. On the other hand, a couple approached the Waikiki Health Center, asking for tickets to Florida as the woman's mother was sick. They were denied.

Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai'i cited examples of visitors who were subjected to crime, such as car break-ins or robberies, and lost their ID, credit cards, money and plane tickets, and were therefore stranded in Hawai'i. They told us of an 18-year-old girl who responded to a job offer on the Internet, to only arrive here to no actual job. For fear that she would be coerced into prostitution, the agency purchased her a ticket home. A one-way ticket costs as much as a round-trip ticket, so there would be no incentive for a Mainlander to buy a one-way ticket with the expectation of the state of Hawai'i providing the return ticket.

Last year, the Legislature did not award any grants-in-aid; this legislative session, many nonprofits will have their funding cut. We need to save the agencies that are providing much-needed services for our resident families, parks and beaches, but most of all we need to save our aloha spirit, our sense of caring for others.

Representative Rida Cabanilla, D-42nd ('Ewa, Waipahu, Honouliuli) is chairwoman of the Housing Committee. She wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.