Hawaiʻi County staff and community members recently teamed up to clean the site of a former short-term homeless shelter in Hilo after successfully placing 14 of the 15 participants in housing or long-term shelter.

Last July, the Kuawa Street short-term shelter opened on private property that the County leased, and welcomed individuals from the Ponahawai Temporary Respite Area who agreed to participate in the initiative. One person left on their own volition.

Throughout the initiative, service providers connected regularly with the residents offering critical housing-focused case management services that included referral to an array of services and resources in the community.

The short-term shelter’s last residents left Nov. 27 for permanent housing or shelter, but were able to return to the site to retrieve belongings through the first week of December.

The Ponahawai Temporary Respite Area on Ponahawai Street operated from July 5 to July 31 to accommodate several dozen unsheltered individuals who had been residing in and around a storm drain in Hilo. The measure was taken in preparation for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ scheduled assessments of the drainage system.

Looking forward, the County is exploring additional opportunities for temporary sheltering in both East and West Hawaiʻi.

Photo credit: County of Hawaiʻi