Punawai Hale studio apartments hopes to finally fill its 20 units with once-homeless residents by the end of the month after opening in November 2020.

The studio apartments are part of a larger city project operating out of the 43,000-square-foot former Malihini Sportswear factory on Kuwili Street that now provide services for the homeless. Puna­wai Rest Stop occupies the bottom floor as a hygiene center providing showers, laundry and mail services.

Punawai Clinic operates above it, offering nonemergency medical services.

The facility was established as part an ambitious city effort that began in December 2018 under former Mayor Kirk Caldwell to address homelessness in innovative ways.

Steadfast Housing Development Corp. manages the studio apartments. Only 13 of the 20 units were filled as of this month, said Executive Director Linda Lahue.

Each studio is furnished with a bed, bathroom, closet, microwave and minirefrigerator. There is a community space where the tenants can use the two ovens, stovetops and full-size refrigerators.

The common space was supposed to have chairs, tables and couches for tenants to relax and socialize, but due to COVID-19 concerns it is currently bare.

Building Manager Josh Eagle explained that after all of the units are occupied, he hopes to install a television and create more space for the tenants to enjoy.

“We want to fill this place up first, and then we’re going to get them more of a common area with a TV and stuff,” he said. “We didn’t want no more spread (of the virus) or anything, but no one got COVID or anything.”

He also noted that all the current tenants were vaccinated.

Tenants must have an income source to live in the studio apartments, which rent for $1,000 a month. If needed, Steadfast Housing will cover the rental deposit.

The number of tenants at Punawai Hale has fluctuated over the past year, sometimes dwindling to only six residents.

There is no parking at the building, one reason tenants told Eagle they did not want to stay at the facility.

Kent Cotton, a case manager and housing placement specialist at Steadfast, said the location in Iwilei was an issue for some prospective tenants, especially those who were struggling with drug addiction.

“They’ve got a history in this neighborhood already,” he said.

However, the main reason why the project has been unable to fill the units is because of strict requirements meant to serve the most vulnerable homeless people.

“We weren’t getting a lot of referrals. And we couldn’t understand why because it’s brand new, it’s their own individual unit,” Lahue said.

Homeless people working with a case manager are put into a coordinated entry system that prioritizes need based on a Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool, or VI-SPDAT. The Punawai Hale units are for those who were higher on the scale, in the 10-to-17 range, meaning they were chronically homeless and often struggled with drug use.

Lahue also explained that when the facility opened, only tenants with some type of disability were accepted.

On top of the requirements, the units are reserved for those who can live independently, which also reduced the number of prospective tenants.

“They have to be independent with their medication, they have to be able to cook and clean,” Lahue said.

“By the time they make the decision to accept housing … they understand that there’s rules that they need to follow, that there’s rent to be paid. We haven’t had too much trouble with that. We had a couple of clients that struggled a little bit with it, and they left voluntarily.”

Lahue also said that because the building involves congregate living, with tenants sharing a common space, some preferred properties where they could have their own private apartment.

The city acknowledged these issues regarding the lack of tenants at Punawai Hale.

“A reason behind Steadfast having a hard time in placing chronically homeless individuals is the location of the facility away from prospective clients’ circles of support and influence,” said Department of Community Services Director Anton Krucky in an email. “In addition to physical impairments, and mental health struggles, a housing client in this score range also has a predominance of drug use, and that isolated location and house rules make it tough for Steadfast to place individuals who meet these stringent requirements.”

He said officials met with Steadfast in late 2021 and lowered the requirement to allow for VI-SPDAT scores in the range of 4 to 8 to enlarge the pool of applicants.

“We are continuing to work closely with them to see if additional changes need to be considered and assessed,” Krucky said.

Lahue is optimistic that with the loosened requirements they will be able to fill the units by the end of April or early May.

Duane Souza has been living in Punawai Hale for about two months. He said he’s been on and off the streets for most of his life since his mother died when he was 16.

His case manager found the unit at Punawai Hale for him. Souza put in his application and got the place about three days later.

Souza fixes bicycles to make money and is able to do the work in his unit, as well as store the bike that he uses to get around.

“We don’t have too much problems with them because we’re independent, but at the same time if we don’t follow rules, we’ll get kicked out. But it’s only simple to follow rules to kind of clean up after yourself, keep the area nice and clean,” Souza said.

“You feel like a human being.”