Council approves $6 million in homelessness grants after contentious review and requests for clearer impact data

The Hawaii County Council voted 5–4 on Dec. 17 to approve Resolution 397-25, authorizing the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) to award $6,000,000 in grants to 12 nonprofit programs addressing housing and homelessness.

Housing Administrator Keha Acosta summarized the application process: 23 program applications from 16 applicants were reviewed by a five-person panel using a 140-point rubric with a 98-point minimum. After ranking and partial funding decisions, OHCD recommended funding for 12 programs across outreach, shelter, long-term housing and supportive services. Acosta told the council staff reviewed budgets line-by-line, checked leases and insurance, and conducted additional post-review checks on potential duplications.

Public testimony before the vote came from a mix of grassroots providers and service organizations. Kayla Hill and Mona, representing front-line outreach workers and those who work closely with unhoused residents, urged the council to fund small local providers—citing direct case work and examples of life-changing interventions. Echo Weiss of Project Vision Hawaii described mobile hygiene, street medicine and case management services as critical entry points into care.

Council deliberations were sharp and sustained. Several members said they support funding services but wanted clearer, nonduplicative measures of impact and better accounting of how previous rounds of HHF money were spent. Councilmember Kaniyeli Kleinfelder asked how many households were sheltered and how much county money directly funded those outcomes, saying impact reporting is hard to follow. Councilmember Kerkowitz and others urged an audit and stronger metrics showing exits to permanent housing rather than transactional counts (showers, outreach contacts).

Administrator Acosta and OHCD staff said they maintain impact reports (years 1 and 2 are published), that the Homeless Engagement HUI collects outreach data, and that OHCD is building a more robust evaluation system and data platform with HIPAA-compliant features. They also said some smaller organizations did not score competitively despite doing effective on-the-ground work and that OHCD is trying to build capacity through technical assistance.

After debate, the council adopted the resolution authorizing awards totaling $6,000,000 from the HHF (residential tier 2 property tax revenues). The roll call recorded five votes in favor and four opposed (Councilmembers Connie Kleinfelder, Kirkowitz, Villegas and Chair Nava voted no). Several council members indicated they would press for an audit and more transparent, program-level accounting before any extension of the fund beyond its current sunset date.

OHCD staff said they will provide impact reports and additional confidential budget breakdowns to council members on request; councilmembers signaled interest in a follow-up audit to assess outcomes and administrative expenditures.

The resolution authorizes OHCD to distribute funds, with direction to improve performance measurement and to coordinate with the Homeless Engagement HUI.