Hawaii County’s Office of Housing and Community Development asked residents to share their issues, needs and solutions regarding homelessness as part of an update to its Strategic Roadmap for Homelessness and Housing.
The County requested community members take a 7-minute online survey to provide their input. Responses are based on each district, so participants may complete the survey more than once if they have relationships with different parts of Hawaii Island. A consulting firm, SAS Services, LLC, will summarize the answers in order to offer recommendations for the update to the Roadmap, but individual responses will be anonymous. The survey will remain open until March 14.
The Strategic Roadmap will guide the priorities for the County’s Homelessness and Housing Fund. Established in 2022, the Homelessness and Housing Fund works to address issues of homelessness and housing instability on Hawaii Island. Ordinance 22-26, which established the Fund, allocates 75% of Residential Tier Two property tax revenues to the Fund until 2027. The Fund provides monetary support to nonprofits to provide programs and services to individuals and families who may be homeless or at-risk of being homeless. The Fund addresses immediate needs of individuals experiencing homelessness — such as food, emergency shelter, financial aid, street medicine, and mobile showers — and long-term needs, such as stable housing, employment, substance use treatment, and mental or behavioral health support.
Before the Fund was created, investments in homelessness services and housing in Hawaii County were limited to funding via Federal and State governments, and private grants and donations.
