The county Housing Office and representatives of an island nonprofit are being asked to justify programs at a Kailua-Kona homeless shelter after several West Hawaii council members balked at extending a lease arrangement for up to five more years.
The county officials and representatives of Hope Services Hawaii Inc. are expected to tell members of the council Finance Committee on Tuesday about their challenges and successes with a program that has drawn community push-back. At issue is Resolution 445, giving the administration authority to lease the county-owned property for $10 a year to the nonprofit for two years, with two 18-month options to renew.
The homeless shelter, at 74-5593 Pawai Place in Kona’s Old Industrial Area, is an assessment center and emergency shelter for single individuals experiencing homelessness. But council Chairwoman Maile David, representing South Kona and Ka‘u, said there are “serious health and safety issues surrounding this area.”
“I’m looking at this as maintaining something that has been very objectionable as to location to the businesses and the area this is located right in,” David said during a Finance Committee hearing earlier this month. “So I’m very leery about continuing something that will keep this project in an area where definitely the community and public safety has huge concerns about.”
Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas and North Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba voiced similar concerns.
Villegas said she thought a land swap was under consideration to relocate the shelter to a more suitable site.
“I spend a lot of time with community policing and other people who work with our houseless population and there is a lot of frustration,” Villegas said. “It’s becoming the definition of insanity and I don’t believe that more money will solve the problem at this point. I think we need more strategic leadership.”
Council members were also taken aback when they learned the homeless program is expected to continue operations at that location, rather than be moved to the Kukuiola homeless village project once it’s complete. That project will occupy a little less than 36 acres at the corner of Ane Keohokalole Highway and Kealakehe Parkway in Kailua-Kona in the vicinity of the West Hawaii Civic Center and Kealakehe High School.
But the county is committed to using the Old Industrial Area center for the next 15-20 years as it was purchased with federal community development block grant money, which restricts what the county can do with it, said Finance Director Deanna Sako. She said perhaps changes can be made to make the project better.
Several council members said they wanted to see data on how many people are served and what the outcomes are. The county has earmarked a percentage of property tax revenues on luxury homes — about $10 million annually — for homeless programs, but council members are seeking greater accountability.
“With the funding this body has put forth for the homeless, we say we have plenty of money,” Kohala Councilman Tim Richards said. “But that’s not the point. The point is are we spending it well and that’s the bigger point. If this program’s not working then we need to put a new program in place.”
”I did hear that loud and clear,” Sako responded.”It may be we need other providers or to bid it out or to do it another way.”
Resolution 445 will be heard by the Finance Committee at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Another measure, Resolution 442, requesting a strategic “roadmap” for the use of the new infusion of money, will be heard by the County Council at 2 p.m. the same day.
Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.