The state wants to cut the number of unsheltered homeless individuals in half by 2026.
There are around 6,500 homeless individuals in the state, according to last year's Point in Time Count, which provides a snapshot of the homeless population. More than 4,000 of those individuals live in unsheltered areas like beaches, parks or sidewalks.
James Koshiba, the governor’s coordinator on homelessness, said his focus is on those individuals. He spoke with state lawmakers in a House Committee on Health and Homelessness informational briefing this week.
“That’s where our office intends to focus a lot of our time and investment and energy: on moving people from street to home quickly,” Koshiba said of the state’s Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions.
The goal is to cut unsheltered homelessness in half over the next three years. "That would mean bringing 2,000 people home from the streets, and doing it expediently," he said.
Koshiba said a large majority of those individuals are Hawaiʻi residents, contrary to popular belief. Koshiba said that less than 10% of the local homeless population are not.
Most people are open to services, but Koshiba said they don’t believe they’ll actually receive any of the assistance being offered.
Part of the plan to decrease unsheltered homelessness includes providing “deeply affordable” housing. Koshiba put that number at no more than $500 per month.
“The reason that price point is important is because many people on the street today have a source of income. It might just be general assistance or disability checks; it might be a cash job or minimum wage shift work. They can afford something in this price range. Anything above that, and they can't,” he said.
The problem is that none of the available housing currently offers rent that low.
Koshiba said there needs to be more conventional housing projects that offer “deeply affordable” units, experimental housing projects like the communal Kauhale Initiative, and spaces for mental health and substance abuse healing.
The plan also involves a streamlined process to get people into housing, which includes removing the barriers to obtaining or replacing important documents.
He also said it’s imperative for communities around Hawaiʻi to be open to nearby facilities designed for homeless individuals, instead of a not-in-my-backyard, or NIMBY, mindset.
