$3 million in federal funding announced for homelessness, housing on Hawai‘i Island

On Thursday, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced two Hawai‘i County organizations will receive $2.9 million in new federal funding to build new homes and provide services for homeless individuals.

“This new federal money will go directly to Hawai‘i Island and help take people off the streets and into homes,” said Senator Schatz, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Housing and Urban Development.

The new money will go to Hope Services Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i Island Home for Recovery. The $2.6 million in funding for Hope Services Hawai‘i will be used to acquire and renovate a single-story 8-unit apartment building that will provide housing for 13 people. The new money will also be used to help the organization provide more health care services to homeless individuals across Hawai‘i Island.

The $286,057 for the Hawai‘i Island Home for Recovery will fund five units for five single individual households, with a focus on chronically homeless individuals and those with severe mental illnesses.