#Homelessness

Aloha House staff, board members and supporters gathered Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting and blessing ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new dormitory on the Makawao campus. The new structure adds 12 beds to the facility’s existing 48 beds, increasing the program’s capacity by 25%. The agency provides residential substance use treatment programs, including medically […]

For a decade, the organization has helped more than 1,000 families and saved 1,000 pounds of belongings each month from entering the landfill.

Advocates for houseless people say sweeps are not the long-term solution, with some residents kicked out of Maui Lani on Wednesday the same people who were booted out of Amala Place in Kahului during a previous sweep three months earlier.

A bill to establish a process to decommission encampments in Maui County will be discussed in the Water Authority, Social Services, and Parks Committee on Thursday, Sept. 4, Council Member Gabe Johnson announced.

The state says there will be a transition period to allow residents of Pu‘uhonua o Nēnē, the temporary shelter set up for houseless Lahaina fire survivors, to move into the kauhale or find alternate housing.

Maui County said that of the 46 people living there, 21 went into shelter and two entered recovery programs. On Thursday, 10 truckloads of trash were removed and two truckloads of personal items were put into storage, where residents have 30 days to claim them.

All belongings left on site by Thursday morning will be impounded, and residents will have up to 30 days to pick up their items, the county said.

Gates to restrict access to the road could be installed anywhere from six months to a year or more. As they sit in limbo, houseless community members living there worry where they’ll go next.

County is already removing some trash but says it is all consensual, and nobody is being forcibly removed.

A bill to establish a permanent “Return-to-Home program” failed to make it out of a House and Senate conference committee on Friday as members as the 2025 Legislature sprinted toward the finish of this year’s lawmaking session on Friday. The amended House Bill 212 would have repealed the current pilot program, which has returned more […]

“The Safe Parking Pilot Program represents a meaningful step in addressing homelessness in our community. By providing safe, legal places for individuals and families to park and sleep overnight, we are not only offering a temporary solution, but also a pathway toward stability and dignity,” Director of Human Concerns Lori Tsuhako said.

Project Hawai’i, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty for homeless children, is calling on the community to support its upcoming Teen Mentorship Residency Program. This immersive summer program aims to empower homeless teen girls through mentorship, skill-building activities, and leadership opportunities throughout the month of July. The program will provide up […]

The Hawaiʻi House of Representatives has approved all seven bills in the House Majority Package on third reading ahead of the first crossover deadline on Thursday. The bills move on to the Senate for further consideration. 

More than two years after Maui County Council members unanimously approved a bill to allow homeless people to sleep in their cars in county parking lots, a pilot program has yet to be implemented, even after the J. Walter Cameron Center’s parking lot was initially identified as an appropriate location in the fall of 2022.

The Maui County Council’s Water Authority, Social Services and Parks Committee will receive an update Tuesday morning on the status of a Maui County pilot project to allow people to sleep in their cars in county-owned public parking lots.

The state says the homes will be converted into a kauhale — a community of tiny homes with shared amenities — though the location has yet to be determined.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., is traveling to lead discussions on Alternative Dispute Resolution at the International Institute for Crisis Prevention and Resolution’s annual meeting in Florida. As part of the panel, Green will share insights and best practices drawn from the state’s response to the August 2023 Maui wildfires, offering a perspective on how Hawaiʻi […]

The children of Elmer Lee Stevens, who lost their mother in the Lahaina fire, filed a petition with the court that, if granted, would allow them to join the settlement for the many residents who lost loved ones and homes in the fire.

In his third State of the State address, Gov. Josh Green took aim this morning at Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living, affordable housing, accessible health care and Maui’s ongoing recovery from the August 2023 wildfires.

A group of unsheltered residents living on Amala Place in Kahului sued the county in 2021, saying they weren’t given enough notice and weren’t granted a hearing to make their case before the sweep.