Statewide Office on Homelessness responds to audit, highlights Kauhale progress and fund recovery steps

At the direction of Gov. Josh Green, the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions (SOHHS) has accepted all 11 recommendations in a report by the state Office of the Auditor. SOHHS began strengthening controls in 2025 under the leadership of Coordinator Jun Yang, working to recover any improper payments — and asserts that the audit report contains significant factual errors, which it seeks to correct.

“Our kauhale are delivering results across Hawai‘i with nearly 900 beds so far, providing stable housing and human services to more than 2,900 of our formerly houseless neighbors, including medically fragile and older adults, families with children, people with behavioral health needs and survivors of domestic violence,” said Green. “We welcome accountability and will continue strengthening the program, but we will not lose sight of what matters most: kauhale are working, they are changing lives — and we are going to keep building on that progress because the people of our state deserve a real solution to this generational problem.”

From 2024 to 2026, the combined statewide count of our unsheltered neighbors fell from 4,042 to 3,513, a reduction of 13.1%, according to the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. On Oʻahu, it fell from 2,766 to 2,208, a reduction of 20.2%. Oʻahu’s sheltered population increased from 1,728 to 2,331. In 2026, sheltered people outnumbered unsheltered people on Oʻahu for the first time in a full PIT Count since 2018.

According to the Governor’s Office, the audit report “mischaracterizes a significant portion of the $6.1 million” in what it calls “unauthorized payments,” including ​​$2.5 million paid to HomeAid for the Alana Ola Pono project and $2.4 million in payments to HomeAid for a predevelopment agreement. “SOHHS documentation shows these payments were, in fact, authorized,” according to the Governor’s office.

In recent months, SOHHS has also taken steps to recover public funds for expenses that were deemed improper, including: 

• More than $16,000 in unauthorized travel expenses, which includes costs for mainland and interisland travel and first-class airfares;
• $300,000 in office and administrative expenses; and
• Approximately $170,000 for work performed by subcontractors and consultants for HomeAid that were not directly related to the Kauhale Initiative.

SOHHS concurs with the 11 recommendations and is committed to making the necessary improvements, many of which reportedly began prior to the publication of the audit.

SOHHS’ responsibility includes both advancing housing for people experiencing homelessness and demonstrating that public funds are properly authorized, supported and used for accepted work.