8 more Leeward shelters planned
The homeless facilities are still unconfirmed, a state official says
The state is considering as many as eight more sites for homeless shelters on the Leeward coast* in addition to the two homeless shelters expected to open by the end of the year on Oahu.
Kaulana Park, the state's homeless solutions team leader, declined to give the locations of the eight shelters, saying they were still unconfirmed and that the state wants to discuss them with the community first.
At Kalaeloa in Barbers Point, a transitional shelter is expected to be two-thirds complete by the end of this year, housing 100 to 140 people. The completed building will house 200 people. There will be a subsidized expense to stay at the shelter of from $350 to $700, Park said.
Kahikolu, an emergency shelter being planned beside the Waianae Civic Center on Farrington Highway, will house 300 people and is expected to open this year. The emergency shelter will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Park made the comments yesterday during a meeting with Star-Bulletin editors.
The proposed eight shelters were narrowed down from a list of 30, established from requirements such as the site's location to transportation; pre-existing sewers, electricity and other infrastructure; state or private ownership; and archaeological surveys.
The largest number of people that any site could hold is 300, Park estimates, adding that the 10 sites would provide 1,000 spaces for homeless people.
Counts of homeless people on the Waianae coast by local organizations have ranged from 750 to 1,500. Park estimates that number is closer to 2,000 or more.
The eight sites would be a mix of emergency and transitional shelters.
Emergency shelters are only the first step of a six-step process the state is using to combat homelessness.
The state Hawaii Housing Finance & Development Corp. is trying to increase the supply of affordable housing. The agency encourages developers to build affordable housing with incentives such as tax credits and streamlined processing for faster building permit approvals.
The Next Step Shelter in Kakaako -- opened after the city closed Ala Moana Park at night * -- houses 300 people, 100 of whom are children. Park said since the facility opened in May, 20 families have moved from the Next Step Shelter into transitional housing.
CORRECTION
Friday, September 29, 2006
» The state is considering as many as eight more sites for homeless shelters on the Leeward coast. A Page A5 article in yesterday's morning edition incorrectly stated that eight more shelters would be built. Also, homeless people were forced to move out of Ala Moana Park because the city closed the park at night. The article incorrectly said the city evicted the homeless.
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