In its journey through the state House and Senate, House Bill 431 has seen many changes, but it steadfastly continues funding for emergency housing and shelter programs serving Hawaii’s homeless, appropriates money for supportive housing serving people with special needs and tightens up operational rules. The Legislature must now iron out differences between each chamber’s version and get this bill to the governor.
No dollar amount has been attached to the latest version, but HB 431 originally allocated $50 million toward the state’s Kauhale Initiative, and a final bill must robustly fund the effort. Kauhale are a collection of affordable homes with communal elements, often quick-build “tiny homes” with shared kitchen, living and washroom space, or converted structures with those elements. Under the state’s initiative, tiny homes and infrastructure are typically developed by Hawaii nonprofit Home Aid, the state’s lead development partner, and handed over to service provider Project Vision Hawaii, a designated state operating partner, for management. A provision that development of larger kauhale be put out to bid has been properly deleted for now — but if legislators want reassurance that kauhale developers are working efficiently, a solid approach would be to bid out a year’s worth of contracts at a time, with a transition period to assure that there’s no slowdown in this housing push.
Continued funding for the state’s highly successful Ohana Zones pilot program is also at stake. The current bill brings appropriations for the Kauhale Initiative and Ohana Zones Pilot under its umbrella — a logical step, so long as it doesn’t result in diminished support for either. Established in 2018 to provide transitional housing, the Ohana Zones program has expanded to support permanent and semi-permanent rental housing, funding rent vouchers and renovations as required, and has served thousands of unsheltered people since it began. In 2022, the Legislature extended the pilot’s expiration date until June 30, 2026, appropriating separate funds for kauhale and ohana zones, and a similar approach — including an extended expiration date — is called for here.
A third tranche of funding would go to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp., to develop, operate and maintain affordable supportive housing. These units serve people who are especially vulnerable to homelessness: foster children who have aged out of family placements, people with developmental and physical disabilities, addiction and behavioral issues, and the physically frail. Funding to keep programs stable must be a priority.
These efforts are worthwhile, despite complications. In past months, criticism emerged over the sky-high expense of sheltering homeless people in kauhale not initially attached to utilities. Inadequate electricity and water at one Honolulu kauhale limited the number of units that could be used. Homelessness on Oahu’s West Side remains at unacceptable levels, and despite the hundreds of longterm placements made in Honolulu, a growing homeless population has been observed in Waikiki — thought to be new arrivals from out of state.
As difficulties emerge, they must be addressed. The amended HB 431 requires that kauhale be connected to public utilities — and while that could delay kauhale openings, the effect can be mitigated by careful planning. The bill specifies that limited rent “may” be assessed, allaying some costs; this is proper. Kauhale and programs specific to a district must get factored in.
What’s important is that housing be provided. This state has more homeless people as a percentage of our population than any other. The 2024 Point In Time Count showed 4,494 on Oahu experiencing homelessness — a 12% increase (not quite 500) over 2023 — and homelessness persists on Oahu and throughout the state. A sustained, strategic response is required to reverse the destabilizing and degrading effects that widespread homelessness inflicts on our state.
