The operators of the Safe Haven, a facility for homeless individuals with mental illnesses, are looking for a new home because they have to vacate the site across from Kukui Plaza by the summer.
One of the sites that Safe Haven is considering is about seven blocks away on Kekaulike Street, between North King Street and Nimitz Highway. Mental Health Kokua, which runs Safe Haven, is expected to announce some of the details of its move at the Downtown Neighborhood Board meeting at 7 p.m. today at the Pauahi Community Center.
The 25-bed Safe Haven has been a fixture downtown since it opened in 1995 at the Edwin Thomas Building on South Beretania Street. But Housing Solutions Inc., the shelter’s landlord, said it wants the property back for a center to serve elderly people who are homeless.
Greg Payton, chief executive of Mental Health Kokua, said that besides providing 25 clients with transitional housing, Safe Haven assists about 75 other people a month with services ranging from showers, laundry and a mailing address to medical care and rehabilitation.
Payton said the building at 919 Kekaulike St., just makai of the C.Q. Yee Hop Building and across from Oahu Market, is one of the sites being considered. A printing business now occupies the space.
Payton said his agency is applying for Community Development Block Grant funds from the city to renovate the site, and is seeking the support of the Downtown Neighborhood Board. He said he has been asked to not disclose other alternatives that may be in the works.
The Kekaulike site is slightly larger than the current Safe Haven location.
"It would ideal for providing a multiservice center as well as residential services," he said. "It would be a good site for us to move to."
The relocation to Kekaulike has already won the support of the Chinatown Business and Community Association. Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock, association president, said many more people would be left homeless in the streets of Chinatown without Safe Haven.
Shubert-Kwock said she has seen firsthand how Safe Haven has helped the community and has even referred people there.
"If we don’t have Safe Haven, I don’t know anybody else who can do it."
The Kekaulike site is on the edge of the Chinatown business area, Shubert-Kwock said. "It’s out of the way. It’s like a no man’s land over there anyway."
But veteran Downtown Neighborhood Board member Lynne Matusow disagreed, and said she is worried about the proximity to Chinatown businesses.
"You’ve got a lot of Chinatown stores down there. How is this going to impact them? I want to hear from the merchants in the area and the people who reside down there."
Meanwhile, Matusow said, the board has not been told of the plans for the Edwin Thomas Building. Based on Housing Solution’s mission, she assumes it will open a shelter.
"Then the question becomes, ‘How much is too much down here?’" Matusow said.
While Safe Haven has not been known to be a trouble spot, Hawaii Pacific University officials voiced strong concerns when it first opened, she said.
Terry Brooks, Housing Solutions executive director, said his organization has been meaning to reclaim the Thomas building for a number of years.
Housing Solutions is pleased that it has been able to lease the building to Safe Haven, but now feels there is a pressing need to make available transitional shelter space for elderly people who are homeless.
That was the original reason his agency bought the building 21 years ago. But several permanent senior housing projects came up around the same time and Housing Solutions decided to lease its building to Safe Haven for the short term, which became a longer arrangement that’s now month-to-month, he said.
Downtown Neighborhood Board Chairman Alvin Au said, given the significance of the situation, he may ask fellow board members if they want to vote to support the project at tonight’s meeting even though a vote is not on the agenda.
Safe Haven has been a good neighbor in recent years, providing outreach and taking part in citizen patrols, he said.
Meanwhile, he said, merchants are continually frustrated with homeless problems and more services are needed for those who need the help.
