[§356D-144]  Powers and duties.  (a) The authority may contract with private sector agencies to carry out the dutiesand responsibilities of the program.

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary,any contracts entered into by the authority with a private sector agencypursuant to this subsection shall not be subject to chapters 76 and 89.

(b)  The duties of the authority or contractedagency shall include:

(1)  Carrying out the requirements of the Hale Kokuaprogram under this subpart;

(2)  Developing and adopting the requirements,eligibility, registration, background check, initial screening procedures, andprocedures for follow-up after placement to determine the ability to makerental payments and the need for social services and referrals for homelessfamilies and individuals to qualify them as tenants under this program;

(3)  Developing and adopting the requirements,qualifications, and registration procedures for property owners who providerental housing to qualified homeless tenants; provided that priority shall begiven to those not requesting construction grants;

(4)  Developing appropriate procedures to addresspotential liabilities of the State;

(5)  Adopting procedures to place qualified homelesstenants with property owners participating in the program.  Participatingproperty owners shall interview and make final tenant selection from lists ofprospective tenants compiled by the authority or the contracted agency;

(6)  Establishing the procedures and requirements forthe disbursement of building improvement grants and rental subsidies and theamounts thereof to property owners participating in the program;

(7)  Working with the counties to develop and proposeuniform incentives to encourage and facilitate the participation of property owners,including real property tax waivers or reductions, and exemptions in zoning orbuilding code requirements which shall be conditioned on participation in theprogram and which shall lapse when program participation ends;

(8)  Monitoring the financial status and progress ofhomeless tenants and cooperating with other agencies in establishing andcoordinating job training and other programs to help tenants to progress towardself-sufficiency;

(9)  Promoting and assisting in the development ofemployer-employee relationships between homeless tenants and participatingproperty owners, including but not limited to tenant caretaker, housekeeper, orgroundskeeper employment situations;

(10)  Working towards securing financial, in-kind, andadministrative assistance from law enforcement and other state and countyagencies and the private sector to implement the program;

(11)  Working towards securing funding assistance fromfederal agencies and programs involved in housing development, job-training, orhomeless assistance;

(12)  Monitoring the progress of the Hale Kokuaprogram, and collecting annual statistics showing the numbers of homelesspeople, homeless families, and homeless children, using appropriate measurementsystems; and

(13)  Preparing recommendations to improve and expandthe program, including but not limited to incentives for participating propertyowners to sign up for additional terms. [L 2006, c 180, pt of §2]