County of Hawaii

Hawaii Island – “Big Island”                            

                                                                                    DRAFT 5/24/04

Hawaii Island is the largest, southern-most island in the island chain, with a land area of 4,000 square miles, making up two-thirds of the entire state’s land area.  This is the reason the island is called the “Big Island.”  Twice as larger than its sisters combined, the island continues to grow every day as its active volcano, Kilauea, sends new land to a steamy meeting with the ocean.  Polynesian legend claims the goddess Pele gave volcanic birth to this island of Aloha.  Hawaii’s Big Island is her latest and greatest creation, still warm from its fiery birth.  Like the growing mass, the population on the Big Island is also growing.  According to the State of Hawaii’s Data Book of 2001, 152,083 live on this diverse island.

The Hawaii-Island Continuum of Care (CoC) represents the planning group on homelessness in Hawaii County.  The mission of the CoC is to assist individuals and families who become homeless or are at-risk of becoming to regain their housing stability and a greater quality of life.  It is our hope that the collaborative working relationships with homeless providers, State and County officials, consumers, and faith-based organizations result in effective referrals, better care and innovative partnerships. 

The CoC is a shared effort stemming from the annual Big Island Strategic Planning meeting on Homelessness, which convened in 1992. The networking efforts of the Continuum of Care have resulted in greater awareness and effective collaboration in Hawaii County.  The CoC received commitments and regular attendance from the Office of the Mayor, Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD), Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii (HCDCH), Workforce Development Office, Big Island Connection “One-Stop Shop,” homeless providers, faith groups, mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence providers, businesses, property owners, and concerned community members.

Housing Accessibility in Hawaii County

The Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) is responsible for writing the Consolidated Plan (CP) for the County of Hawaii. The CP provides background, direction, and a plan for how the County intends to administer the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.  The State of Hawaii’s CP provides background, direction, and a plan for how the State intends to administer HUD’s Home Investment Partnership (HOME), Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) programs to assist in meeting the housing needs of Hawaii citizens.

The County of Hawaii’s Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) is also responsible for the management of HUD’s Section 8 Housing Voucher program.  From 7/01/02 – 6/30/03, OHCD achieved a 97% lease up of 1,696 Housing Choice Vouchers.  OHCD processed approximately 1,560 families from the waiting list of applications for the rental assistance program. 

In addition, out of the 1,696 Housing Choice Voucher, the OHCD leased up 146 vouchers it received from the State of Hawaii’s Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii (HCDCH).

The OHCD also meets with community groups and landlords to promote and explain the Section 8 program. 

Due to the tight rental market, the OHCD experienced a higher rate of Section 8 Vouchers expiring due to voucher holders being unable to locate rental units that met HUD’s rent requirements.

To address the lack of public education of the fair housing laws, the OHCD engaged in the following actions:

1.                  Promoted Fair Housing through the Section 8 Program.  Informational Fair Housing brochures are distributed to each client when they apply or were recertified for the program;

2.                  The OHCD sponsors Fair Housing education training for landlords and tenants in both East and West Hawaii.

Housing Barriers for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Holders:

1.                  Landlords are hesitant to accept Housing Vouchers;

2.                  Voucher holders have difficulty in coming up with the required rent and utility deposits when trying to rent a unit;

3.                  Voucher holders with bad credit reports, criminal records, outstanding debts;

4.                  Market rents that exceed HUD Fair Market Rent limits.

Discussion on Sub-populations

(Insert info. from planning committee)

Inventory of Current Resources

Outreach Services: 

            The Office for Social Ministry (OSM) provides Homeless Outreach Services island-wide to individuals, families, immigrants, and persons with special needs (severe and persistent mental illnesses, co-occurring, substance abuse) living at the beaches, parks, cars, tents, mountains, lava fields, and streets.  Current mobile outreach efforts are provided by four-wheel drive vehicles and a “one-stop” resource center.  In response to the Big Island Strategic Plan on Homelessness, OSM, Office of the Mayor and the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) began planning of a “one-stop” resource center for the homeless in West Hawaii.  This resource center for the homeless will include shower and toilet facilities, lockers, bulletin boards, feeding programs, housing placements and referrals and appropriate linkages to mainstream resources.

            (Insert East Hawaii Coalition for the Homeless’ efforts in Pahoa & Christmas Wish Program’s services for Puumaile residents)

Emergency Shelters: (Insert EHCH, and DV shelters-CFS & TPFFI)

Transitional Housing: (Insert Catholic Charities-Kawaihae Transitional Shelter)

Permanent Supportive Housing:

            In May 2004, OSM began their contract agreement with HCDCH to administer a HUD Shelter Plus Care program on the Big Island.  This is the first Shelter Plus Care program among the neighbor islands.  This 5-year grant of $629,160 was made possible through the SuperNOFA Continuum of Care funds. 

Continuum of Care: Housing Gaps Analysis Chart

Attached are the Housing Gaps Analysis Chart and the Homeless Population and Subpopulations Chart.

Continuum of Care:  Housing Gaps Analysis Chart

     Individuals

     Persons in Families With Children