Two new Leeward shelters open
By Mary Vorsino
Advertiser Staff Writer
The governor will dedicate two new homeless transitional shelters on the Leeward Coast today.
Together, the shelters will house more than 450 people.
The shelters are part of a massive, multimillion-dollar, state-spearheaded effort to address the homeless population in the Islands.
They bring the number of homeless shelters statewide to 24.
On O'ahu, those shelters provide about 900 "living units" for the homeless and 500 "bed spaces."
Russ Saito, state comptroller and the governor's special adviser on homelessness, said the new transitional shelters will help dozens of families as they try to move off the streets and beaches and into more long-term affordable housing.
The homeless shelters to be dedicated today are:
The Villages of Ma'ili, which received about $12 million in state funds and also had funding from other sources, will be managed by Catholic Charities. Building 36, which received about $3 million in state funds, will be managed by Honolulu Community Action Program.
Saito said the two new shelters will have on-site programs to help get people back on their feet.
The homeless shelters are opening as officials and advocates are increasingly worrying about whether the spiraling economy is worsening the state's homeless crisis. Officials say it's still unclear whether the ranks of the homeless are on the rise, but Saito said the state does plan to conduct a "point-in-time" count soon.
He added as long as there are people on the streets, the state will continue to help open more shelters.
"It's always important," he said.
Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.
