New tiny home village in Kaneohe to house homeless from windward Oahu
KANEOHE (HawaiiNewsNow) - The new Ka Malu Ko’olau kauhale in Kaneohe will soon welcome homeless residents from windward Oahu.
Government and community leaders gathered at the village, located next to Windward Community College and Hakipuʻu Academy on Po’okela Street, for a blessing and opening ceremony on Friday.
“Serve our local homeless people first, because in our view, that is where our need is greatest,” said windward resident and community advocate Mahealani Cypher.
The tiny home village may look similar to the medical kauhale that was set up next to Washington Place last year, but this one is a larger, permanent site with more amenities.
The kauhale sits on part of a parking lot for the state Department of Transportation. There are 32 units available to house an adult individual or couple. Services include bathrooms, daily meals, a health clinic, 24/7 security, meeting space, a kitchen area, computer room and laundry facilities.
Donations and partners like Microsoft covered more than a third of the $2 million construction cost.
“We all share the responsibility and in turn share the great success to help those who are really struggling,” said Gov. Josh Green.
“Always remember there no throwaway people in our society,” said state homelessness coordinator John Mizuno. “Our state can provide valuable components to significantly reduce homelessness, reduce crime, reduce recidivism, and at the end of the day as governor mentioned reduce costs, reduce taxpayer costs.”
Nonprofit Project Vision, which manages the kauhale, said it’s reviewing referrals and hopes to move in residents soon.
Green said he secured $6.9 million to build more kauhale on Maui and was informed by HUD that Hawaii is one of 8 states approved to use the Medicaid model to pay for housing.
“Every time we spend $1, we save about $4, because people aren’t on the street,” Green said. “That revolutionizes things, that gives us the capacity to afford kauhale, and to help those who are struggling the most.”
By Annalisa Burgos, Hawaii News Now
Available at https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/02/10/new-tiny-home-village-kaneohe-house-homeless-windward-oahu/