Hawaii County committee backs $10.5 million homelessness awards, amid calls for clearer data and equity

The Hawaii County Council Finance Committee on Jan. 7 voted to forward Resolution 46-25 to the full council with a favorable recommendation, authorizing $10.5 million in Homelessness & Housing Fund (HHF) awards to 15 projects across the island.

The measure funds nonprofit programs that provide case management, housing navigation, street outreach, rental assistance, recovery housing and reintegration services. The Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) said the awards will be allocated to the top-ranked proposals from a competitive request-for-proposals process.

Committee members and dozens of public testifiers — including local homeless-service providers, faith groups and community organizations — urged support for the awards, while several council members pressed OHCD for clearer data, more equitable distribution and assurances about management of the fund.

OHCD overview and why this matters

OHCD Housing Administrator MKO Costa told the committee the office received 30 proposals requesting roughly $34 million and selected the top 14 projects for full funding; the remaining balance funded a 15th project partially. The $10.5 million comes from residential tier-2 property tax revenues and is intended to reduce both the number of unhoused people and the duration and recurrence of homelessness through the HHF’s strategic roadmap priorities.

Costa said the office has been strengthening administration of the fund — hiring an in‑house data manager, procuring data-management software, developing a public data dashboard planned to launch in February, and contracting SAS Services to support evaluation and reporting.

What supporters told the committee

Dozens of providers used public testimony to describe services funded by HHF and argue for continuance of the funding stream. Testimony included:

- Laura (Daniel R. Sayer Memorial Foundation) and Frank Sutter described donations to the county’s fire department and thanked the council for past support. - Shirley David (St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church) and others urged continued funding for low‑income and workforce housing and supportive services, saying families and kupuna are leaving the island because housing is unaffordable. - Andy Boisaret Lozaglio (Bridge House), Ryan Nock (Project Vision Hawaii), Dr. Hannah Preston (Big Island Substance Abuse Council), Russell Hamilton (Lokai Treatment Centers), Michelle Manalo (Going Home Hawaii), Les Estrella (Going Home Hawaii/Going Home Hawaii partner), Brandy Menino (Hope Services Hawaii) and many others described programs ranging from mobile outreach and street medicine to detox, family reunification and housing navigation, and asked the committee to approve the awards.

Key questions and council concerns

Multiple council members pressed OHCD and its consultants on three themes:

- Data and reporting: Council Member Villegas asked for clarity on legacy data management and what existing software or contracts were being used; OHCD confirmed the prior contract-managed approach is being moved in‑house and that SAS Services is under contract to help evaluate and build reporting systems. Villegas said the materials were difficult to parse and requested clearer metrics tying dollars to people served.

- Equity and distribution: Members noted that a few organizations received substantial shares of the $10.5 million and asked how OHCD is addressing geographic and programmatic equity. OHCD said awards were determined by an evaluation rubric and noted competition is annual; the administration and consultant are reviewing ways to improve equity and sustainability.

- Sustainability and contracting term length: Council members raised whether one‑year contracts are appropriate for service delivery and whether multi‑year or revolving-fund approaches should be used. Deputy Corporation Counsel Sylvia Wand said program contracts are currently annual because the fund’s revenues vary year to year and that changing to multi‑year funding would require ordinance changes.

What OHCD said it will do next

OHCD said it has hired an in-house program data manager (recent hire: Holly, with PhD experience analyzing health data), is procuring software, and will launch a public dashboard. The office also pledged to provide additional reporting requested by the council — including a breakdown of which awarded organizations are repeat recipients versus new grantees, and details on prior year performance data and procurement.

Formal action

A motion to forward Resolution 46-25 to the full council with a favorable recommendation passed: motion by Council Member Kerkowitz, second by Council Member Inava; clerk recorded eight members in favor with Council Member Kimball excused. (The vote tally reported in the meeting was: yes 8; no 0; abstain 0.)

Why this is consequential

The HHF is a five‑year program funded by tier‑2 residential property tax revenues; the committee and providers described the awards as part of Year 3. Committee members said the fund is producing capacity-building, but they emphasized the need for clearer, standardized reporting so the council and public can track outcomes and equity across districts and provider types.

What remains unresolved

Committee members asked OHCD to supply follow-up materials to the council — specifically: a list of returning versus new grantees, clearer outcome metrics mapped to the $10.5 million allocation, documentation of prior data contracts and the status of the in‑house data system/software, and an assessment of options for multi‑year contracting or revolving funds.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Forward Resolution 46-25 to council with a favorable recommendation. - Mover: Council Member Kerkowitz; Second: Council Member Inava. - Outcome: Forwarded with favorable recommendation (yes 8; no 0; abstain 0).