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Honolulu’s homeless tent project is moving to Moiliili

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Tents are seen at the HONU homeless triage program at Waipahu Cultural Garden Park in December. The program will relocate next week to Old Stadium Park in Moiliili.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM

Tents are seen at the HONU homeless triage program at Waipahu Cultural Garden Park in December. The program will relocate next week to Old Stadium Park in Moiliili.

The city is closing up its Homeless Outreach and Navigation for Unsheltered Persons (HONU) program in Waipahu and relocating to Old Stadium Park in Moiliili at noon Monday.

The HONU project, which is comprised of a series of inflatable tents and a hygiene center, was meant to be temporary and easily transportable. The project, which is being funded by $6 million in state money, is staffed 24 hours a day.

When the Waipahu location first opened at the Waipahu Cultural Garden Park in mid-December, Honolulu police Capt. Mike Lambert told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he expected to move to Old Stadium Park within 90 days.

While in Waipahu, the project admitted 258 guests — 156 of whom moved into shelters and and one who found permanent housing, the city said. The goal of the program, run jointly by the Honolulu Police Department and the Department of Community Services, was to place 300 persons over a 12-month period.

“The progress of every person utilizing the HONU services is followed within the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS),” said Pam Witty Oakland, Director of the City Department of Community Services. Her agency “will continue to monitor HONU guests within HMIS to determine whether they are able to sustain shelter and housing. This is the data point that will determine the long-term success of the program,” she said.

City officials praised the Waipahu Community, and the Friends of Waipahu Cultural Garden Park in particular, for welcoming HONU and providing donations of clothing and personal hygiene products.

Lambert also complimented HONU staff for its work. “We now look forward to creating the same beneficial impact in Old Stadium Park and the surrounding areas,” he said.

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