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The Conversation: Neighbor Island Communities Weigh In on Homeless Sitution (Hana Hou Broadcast)

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

 

West Hawaii has held three community meetings spurred by business concerns with folks sharing their frustrations.  There was one in May, June and most recently last week. 

On Maui the annual Point in Time count showed a slight decline, but on Kauai the numbers appear to have skyrocketed.  What’s a community to do? On the Big Island some business have suggested taking matters into their own hands.  

Today's show is a rebroadcast, where we sat down to talk about the homelessness situation on the neighbor islands and the role communities play in finding solutions.  Our guest panelists are:

  • Jillian Okamoto, Division Administrator for Housing Assistance and Referral Programs for  Catholic Charities Hawaii.
  • Brandee Menino, Chief Executive Officer of Hope Services Hawaii and Chair of Bridging the Gap, a coalition of agencies working to end homelessness on the neighbor islands.
  • and Maude Cumming, Executive Director of the Family Life Center, Maui’s primary homeless outreach agency and previous chair of Bridging the Gap.

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Catherine Cruz is the host of The Conversation. Originally from Guam, she spent more than 30 years at KITV, covering beats from government to education. Contact her at ccruz@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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