The newest tiny-home village to reduce homelessness — with 43 units designed to house single adults, couples and their pets — was unveiled and blessed Monday in Iwilei.
The kauhale initiative provides more than housing, and Gov. Josh Green — a medical doctor — wants the kauhale communities to bring stability to the lives of the occupants, along with social services, security, health care, laundry services and communal showers, kitchens and bathrooms.
The newest kauhale, located where North Beretania Street becomes North King Street, is named Alana Ola Pono: Awakening to a Good Life and represents Hawaii’s 17th since the first one opened in Kalaeloa while then-Lt. Gov. Green pushed a concept that was new to the state.
There are now beds across the islands for 760 residents who formerly were without permanent, stable homes.
On Maui, 50 more families are expected to move into Ka La‘i Ola kauhale by next week. They will join the 78 families already living there.
The kauhale are built by HomeAid Hawai‘i, a nonprofit hui of Hawaii builders who donate materials, labor and expertise to the effort to keep costs low, which translates into lower rents after an initial grace period.
Kauhale rents vary depending on each kauhale, but workers, kupuna on fixed incomes and homeless people eligible for federal financial benefits can afford them, said HomeAid Executive Director Kimo Carvalho.
Case managers help homeless people apply for financial benefits they might not be receiving or don’t even know they’re eligible for.
The latest kauhale sits along the site of Oahu’s original train line, which, starting in the late 19th century, connected loads of sugar from the plantations to the docks for shipment.
It will be located along Honolulu’s Skyline rail system, where so-called transit-oriented development includes plans for permanent workforce housing and quick access into downtown Honolulu and West Oahu.
“It’s a bit historic and we’ll save the historic aspects,” Carvalho said. “We are doing common-sense development that doesn’t compromise health and safety.”
The first residents are expected to move in over the holidays, and Carvalho met three of them at Monday’s blessing. They are young adults who want to work and just need affordable housing to get their lives on track.
Other occupants could be kupuna on fixed incomes who desperately need security for their belongings and themselves, Carvalho said.
On the street, homeless people repeatedly have reported their possessions are being stolen, including critical identification they need for jobs, housing and the ability to drive.
Carvalho said the future residents of Alana Ola Pono told him Monday, “‘If I have a tiny home, I can put my stuff inside and lock the door.’ It relieves their anxiety.
“We’re doing this during Christmas,” Carvalho said. “It’s a Christmas gift from HomeAid Hawai‘i and the governor.”
Many of Hawaii’s homeless will not move off the street and into a homeless shelter because it means abandoning their pets. So by allowing pets to live with them in Alana Ola Pono’s 110-square-foot homes, Green’s office said that “no one has to choose between housing and their beloved companions.”
The kauhale will be run by the Institute for Human Services. It was built by HomeAid to include two additional tiny homes for security and 15 communal structures for kitchen modules, gathering centers, showers, toilets, laundry services, storage and an administration building.
The project normally would cost $8 million, but donations and reduced expenses from the 16 builders involved in Alana Ola Pono brought down the actual cost to $6.1 million, Carvalho said.
Each tiny home cost $19,000 to build.
Green said in a news release, “This initiative reflects a powerful collaboration between the Institute for Human Services (IHS), HomeAid Hawai‘i and the broader community. This kauhale is a testament to the power of shared commitment to creating a brighter future for all Hawai‘i residents and collectively addressing one of the largest challenges we face as a community.”
