Blessing for long-awaited tiny home village to help homeless on Big Island

The overcast weather Thursday morning didnʻt dampen the excitement surrounding the groundbreaking of Kukuiola, the long-waited tiny home village and assessment center to help the homeless on the west side of the Big Island.

“This is a very awesome day,” Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth told the crowd. “This is something many people have dreamed about and we’re seeing it happen in real life.”

Kumu Keala Ching led the ceremony with oli, or chant, blessing the site. Ching said Kukuiola means living light. This new village will be a beacon for those whose light may have dimmed.

At the blessing, state, county and community leaders gathered in a dirt lot along Kealakehe Parkway in North Kona. They included Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green, who flew to the Big Island from Honolulu to see the beginning of his campaign promise to build 12 Kauhales (tiny villages) throughout the state. Kukuiola is first on the list.

Green viewed the several acres of brush, broken-up lava an uneven rocky terrain, that will eventually be turned into 64 mostly emergency shelter housing units on 15 acres, although some units will be for permanent housing. The property, which overlooks Honokohau Harbor, also will include a one-stop shop for mental health and other services for the homeless.

This is the solution to address homelessness, Green said.

“We won’t get it right every time, but we will try,” he said. “We’re going to act compassionately, but we’re going to act expeditiously.”

“We know we need housing for all, but to do this here, where we know so many people are struggling, is magical,” Green said.

The Big Island has struggled with homelessness for several years and the problem has only been exacerbated as housing and rent prices continue to rise. According to Hope Services, an organization dedicated to helping those find permanent housing, West Hawai’i has the highest number of homeless on the island. This week, the organization has been going out into the communities throughout the island counting the number of unhoused for the nation’s annual Point-in-Time count. They will be in Kona tonight.

Work begins next week on the village that is located below Kealakehe High School and the Hawaiian Homes community.

Susan Kunz, administrator for Hawaii County’s Office of Housing and Community Development, said construction will start with mass grading of 6 acres to construct the access road to the future housing, which has been called Village 9, at a price tag of $4 million.

“We are concurrently working on the vertical design of the housing and ancillary buildings based on feedback and comments we received from the community — the partners, advocates and individuals with lived experience,” Kunz said.

Following the road construction, 16 congregational shelter-units providing private living quarters, a communal kitchen, assessment center and restrooms. Contractors will also construct a manager’s unit, a green space for gathering and a parking area.

The village also will include on-site wraparound services, including mental health, drug abuse counseling and employment.

The county hopes to have this first phase completed by next year.

Discussion of Kukuiloa began at least two administrations ago with Mayor Billy Kenoi. Former Mayor Harry Kim helped secure the site and Mayor Roth and his team picked up the project and started running with it, Kunz said.

“Together, we share a united vision, unwavering commitment and immense passion to see this Kukuiola community to completion,” Kunz said.

The governor made a promise to Hawai’i County, where he worked as a doctor for years, that his administration will make sure they never get in the way of their needs.

“We’ll make sure that if you have an ask that it comes straight to us and we act immediately; that we take action so we’re never an impediment to you doing the incredible work here on the ground,” he said.

The groundbreaking for Kukuiola comes after Green signed an emergency proclamation during his State of the State address earlier this week that immediately streamlines the construction process for Kauhale housing statewide, and removes unnecessary red tape, allowing for the rapid acquisition or construction of projects to quickly house those who are unhoused.

The governor said his administration wants to be good caretakers of the ʻāina.

“We will make sure that we do more to protect our land, more to protect our water while actually helping people,” he said. “But the purpose is not to wait another two, three, 10 years before helping.”

While Kukuiola was already scheduled to break ground this week, Mayor Roth said his administration will be looking at other housing projects the county can move forward with during this proclamation.

“We’re going to be taking care of our community,” the mayor said. “We need to act with haste and we need to get things done.”

Roth said sustainability is his administration’s priority, which means making sure the county has affordable housing and quality for the generations to come.

“I’m so excited for this day because it was one of the ideas we were talking about 10, 15 years back,” Roth said.

Roth also announced the county’s plan to research an emergency shelter on the Hilo side of the island.

County Council member Rebecca Villegas was at the blessing with Council member Holeka Inaba. Villegas said this is the next phase in a journey to provide facilities, services and support for those in the community who find themselves experiencing homelessness.

“This is a place of refuge and an opportunity for those whose light may have dimmed by time or extenuating circumstances,” Villegas said.

For the naysayers and those disenchanted with eradicating homelessness, Villegas said: “I ask they find a way to participate. We all must be invested in the health of our community.”

As the ceremony came to a close, Green, Roth, council members and others involved in the project approached a mound of dirt holding an oo, or digging stick, and flung the freshly turned dirt to end the groundbreaking.