Hawai’i Receives $11 Million in HUD Grants to Help Homeless

Homeless parked at Kahului Harbor on Maui. File photo by Wendy Osher, March 2006.

By Wendy Osher

Hawai’i has secured $11 million in federal grant funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.  The renewed monetary support will go towards 35 local homeless housing and service programs in the state.

State officials say the funding will ensure that these HUD-assisted local homeless programs will remain operating in the coming year.

Funding includes more than $91,000 for the Chemical Dependency Program at Maui’s Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center.  The center also is the recipient of more than $46,000 for its Family Outpatient Program for FY2012.

US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced the grant funding, which have been awarded through competitive applications for Continuum of Care programs across the nation.

“The evidence is clear that every dollar we spend on those programs that help find a stable home for our homeless neighbors not only saves money but quite literally saves lives,” said Donovan. “We know these programs work and we know these grants can mean the difference between homeless persons and families finding stable housing or living on our streets.”

The grants fund a variety of programs from street outreach and assessment to transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons and families.

In Hawaii, local communities reported a 0.9% overall increase in homelessness in 2012, according to HUD officials.