The holiday season provides an opportunity to reflect on the developments of the past year and an occasion to set aspirations for the coming year. This season also brings a new governor to the state Capitol. We hope that Gov. Josh Green will continue to work on reducing homelessness and increasing the stock of genuinely affordable housing units across Hawaii. On those fronts, progress has been made but there is still much work to be done.

Last year Hawaii’s homeless service providers helped more than 6,000 people transition back into permanent housing. Yet data from this year’s Point in Time Count show that nearly 6,000 people are still without a safe and stable place to live.

Former Gov. David Ige’s administration made tangible progress in building the state’s capacity to respond to the needs of those experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Last year’s accomplishments included $300 million for the Rental Housing Revolving Fund, and $600 million to assist the Department of Hawaiian Homelands with lot development. Over the past decade, Hawaii’s inventory of permanent supportive housing units has nearly doubled.

In November, more than 500 people attended the Homeless Awareness and Housing Solutions Conference in Oahu. There was a call to action for increased support in next year’s budget to reduce homelessness and improve public health. This resulted in a letter requesting continued and increased support in those efforts with 170 signatories.

The Hawaii Housing Affordability Coalition also held a conference that featured public sector housing officials from Finland, the only nation in Europe where homelessness is on the decline. For over three decades, the Finnish approach has emphasized “Housing First,” which offers accessible permanent supportive housing, integrated and target support services, and financial assistance.

The Y Foundation, which spearheaded the shift to Housing First in Finland, underscores the central importance of securing a home: “A dwelling is the foundation on which the rest of life is put back together. When a person has a roof over their head it is easier for them to focus on solving their other problems.”

With a large projected budget surplus in the coming year, Gov. Green has a remarkable opportunity to build upon this progress. Investing in our local communities includes prioritizing funding that will help keep people housed, sustain emergency rental assistance, and increasing access to permanent supportive housing for vulnerable populations.

Those working in homelessness services also deserve more adequate compensation that represents the true costs of their vital work.

We are grateful to Green for his prior record of dedicated and constructive engagement with the range of issues facing Hawaii’s under resourced communities.

We hope that his forthcoming budget will reflect the proven Housing First approach to ending homelessness in Hawaii. The state Legislature should similarly prioritize those who require housing and wrap-around services to improve their health and well-being, which will benefit all our communities.

Heather Lusk is executive director of Hawaii Health & Harm Reduction Center and board chair of Partners in Care; Maude Cumming is executive director of Family Life Center on Maui and Kauai and board chair of Bridging the Gap.