Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions

Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions The Official page of Hawaii's Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions (OHHS).

OHHS is established by Act 252, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022, and is administratively attached to the Hawaii Department of Human Services (DHS). OHHS is headed by the Governor’s Coordinator on Homelessness and is statutorily mandated to:

(1) Work with State, county, and community agencies to develop solutions to prevent and end homelessness in the State through transitional and permanent housing a

nd supportive or assisted services, or both; and establishing and

(2) Develop and test innovative solutions to prevent and end homelessness in the State. The office is also tasked with identifying and addressing gaps in the homeless service system; providing administrative support to the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness (HICH); and establishing and maintaining a statewide homelessness and housing data clearinghouse. Scott Morishige currently serves as the Governor’s Coordinator on Homelessness and is the point person for all homeless issues in the state. Scott works closely with Governor David Ige and his cabinet to provide broad policy direction and coordination for the many stakeholders in Hawai’i addressing the issue of homelessness. The Governor’s Coordinator on Homelessness is part of the Hawai’i Department of Human Services, and reports directly to the Governor. Scott also serves as the Chair of the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness.

The Data section on our website (homelessness.hawaii.gov) has been updated with new performance metrics for 2022. Each q...
12/02/2022

The Data section on our website (homelessness.hawaii.gov) has been updated with new performance metrics for 2022. Each quarter, the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness publishes four key metrics to evaluate performance across the homelessness system.

The most recent data as of September 30, 2022 can be found in the Data section of our website (https://homelessness.hawaii.gov/data/)

To view other data regarding our homeless system, visit: http://homelessness.hawaii.gov/data/

Experiencing homelessness creates a lot of challenges that would not occur or would not be as prevalent if a person was ...
11/26/2022

Experiencing homelessness creates a lot of challenges that would not occur or would not be as prevalent if a person was housed. This includes finding a safe place to sleep, figuring out where and how you will store your belongings, where to get food, where you can shower, use the toilet, wash your clothes, and more.

Additionally, being without a house may put people in more vulnerable situations to predatory behaviors, which can cause feelings of distrust and solitude. All of this occurs while feeling unseen by the community around them.

While it can be difficult for people walking by as they cannot offer solutions to end a person’s experience of homelessness, even a smile, a hello, and kindness, in general, can go a long way to make a person feel seen and acknowledged in the community. Learn about existing resources and efforts to get more people housed at https://homelessness.hawaii.gov/

Homeless service providers bring safety, hope, and healing to people experiencing homelessness every day of the year. Th...
11/24/2022

Homeless service providers bring safety, hope, and healing to people experiencing homelessness every day of the year.

They are the outreach workers and case managers who visit people at parks, beaches, and encampments, the shelter and housing workers who provide safe places for people to live 24 hours a day, and the administrative staff who support their work. Many of them are volunteers who sacrifice their extra time and resources to give back to the community.

The work they do is often unnoticed and underappreciated, especially in the face of so much unmet need. To all of our homeless service providers and volunteers statewide, thank you.

A quick scan of popular rental housing search websites often yields ads that say "No Section 8" or "No vouchers." Landlo...
11/24/2022

A quick scan of popular rental housing search websites often yields ads that say "No Section 8" or "No vouchers." Landlords may be skeptical of working with public assistance programs for many reasons, including harmful stereotypes, previous negative experiences, or frustrations with program rules.

Landlords who do choose to rent their vacant properties to people who use housing vouchers are important partners in preventing and ending homelessness. Roxanne, who owns a rental property on Hawai'i island, had some advice for other landlords who might be considering rental applications from people who use housing vouchers: "Do it. It will keep local people housed."

Learn more about the importance of landlords who will accept housing vouchers at http://homelessness.hawaii.gov/landlord-engagement

People exiting correctional institutions face many barriers in the re-entry process, including the challenge of finding ...
11/23/2022

People exiting correctional institutions face many barriers in the re-entry process, including the challenge of finding a place to live if family support is not available. Re-entry housing programs are limited, and not all ex-offenders will be eligible for them.

Zoe, who was formerly incarcerated at the Women's Community Correctional Center on O'ahu, was fortunate to qualify for a transitional living program after her release. She credits the staff of Women In Need (WIN) with helping her get back on her feet by finding a job and a program to help her pay rent on her own. For others who were not able to qualify for transitional housing placements upon release, their first stop upon exiting prison may be to a homeless shelter or the streets. Re-entry housing options give people exiting correctional institutions the opportunity to restart their lives and break the cycle of recidivism.

The Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness (HICH) held its final quarterly meeting of the year, yesterday November 2...
11/23/2022

The Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness (HICH) held its final quarterly meeting of the year, yesterday November 21, 2022. The council welcomed special guests from the Hawaii Housing Affordability Coalition, and representatives from both of the State’s Continuums of Care.

To view the meeting packet and minutes, please visit our website at: https://homelessness.hawaii.gov/hich/agenda-and-minutes/

To watch the full recording: please visit: https://vimeo.com/user120488861

For many local families, homelessness is just one unexpected event away. A medical emergency, job loss, or other unfores...
11/22/2022

For many local families, homelessness is just one unexpected event away. A medical emergency, job loss, or other unforeseen emergencies can put a household behind on rent and other essential expenses.

For Miguel and his wife, an unexpected emergency arose when their landlord informed tenants that they would no longer participate in the Section 8 program on Hawai'i Island. This sudden action left Miguel and other renters in his situation with few options and limited time. In a tight housing market, vacant units are often filled immediately. With nowhere to go, Miguel and his wife ended up on the streets. Today, he is housed again because a homeless outreach worker helped them find a landlord who accepted housing vouchers.

Mahalo to the many providers, volunteers, and guest speakers who made this year's Hawai'i Statewide Homelessness Awarene...
11/19/2022

Mahalo to the many providers, volunteers, and guest speakers who made this year's Hawai'i Statewide Homelessness Awareness & Housing Solutions Conference possible! This year's conference was held in person for the first time in two years and included several sessions focusing on lived expertise from people experiencing homelessness. Congratulations to Partners In Care and Bridging the Gap for a wonderful conference!

When we visited Hale Maluhia, one of our site-based 'Ohana Zone housing projects on O'ahu, we heard from survivors of do...
11/18/2022

When we visited Hale Maluhia, one of our site-based 'Ohana Zone housing projects on O'ahu, we heard from survivors of domestic violence about their struggles to find safe, affordable housing. Sarah, a mother with a young daughter, was one of the 20 initial residents who were referred for an apartment at Hale Maluhia while living in a domestic violence shelter. She explained that the lack of stable housing can work against a survivor in contentious legal settings, even resulting in loss of custody. In other cases, the lack of housing options may result in survivors returning to an unsafe relationship.

Perspectives from Sarah and other residents at Hale Maluhia are posted on our website at http://homelessness.hawaii.gov/hale-maluhia-permanent-supportive-housing. Hale Maluhia is managed by the Domestic Violence Action Center and Housing Solutions, Inc., and has housed 85 adults and children fleeing domestic violence.

Today we visited Kealaula on Pua Loke, the County of Kaua'i's first affordable housing project for households exiting...
11/17/2022

Today we visited Kealaula on Pua Loke, the County of Kaua'i's first affordable housing project for households exiting homelessness. Over 50 households have received housing and supportive services since Kealaula first opened in two years ago, including Ann, who shared some of her experiences with us.

Ann's story of overcoming addiction, loss, and trauma highlights the importance of having the right resources at the right time. The longer that people remain without safe housing and the support they need, the more barriers they will likely encounter. This is one of the many reasons why having enough affordable housing and access to behavioral health care is so important to ending homelessness.

According to Hawai'i census data, approximately 8% of adults age 65 and older are living in poverty. As adults age, thei...
11/16/2022

According to Hawai'i census data, approximately 8% of adults age 65 and older are living in poverty. As adults age, their household income tends to stagnate or decrease, while expenses and cost of living adjustments may continue to rise.

For low-income older adults without family support, the inability to keep up with increasing housing costs, food, and medical expenses can lead to housing instability or homelessness. Truly affordable housing solutions are critical to preventing homelessness for the 22,000 older adults in Hawai'i who are currently living in poverty.

Since 2016, the number of families with minor children experiencing homelessness in Hawai'i decreased by over 50%. At th...
11/15/2022

Since 2016, the number of families with minor children experiencing homelessness in Hawai'i decreased by over 50%. At the same time, the number of children experiencing homelessness also decreased by over 50% statewide.

Steady reductions in family homelessness are the result of strategic investments in housing-focused shelters and affordable housing for families exiting homelessness. Homeless service providers work to ensure that families who enter outreach, shelter, and other programs are connected to resources for students through the Hawai'i Public Schools, employment support, and more.

For additional information about trends in family homelessness, visit http://homelessness.hawaii.gov/point-in-time-count

Address

415 S. Beretania Street
Honolulu, HI
96813

Opening Hours

Monday 7:45am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 7:45am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 7:45am - 4:30pm
Thursday 7:45am - 4:30pm
Friday 7:45am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+18085860193

Website

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