The County of Hawaiʻi Office of Housing & Community Development (OHCD) will distribute $6 million in Homelessness and Housing Fund (HHF) grants to 12 projects run by eight nonprofit agencies.
The awards support outreach, long-term housing, and critical supportive services across Hawaiʻi Island. One organization is receiving HHF funding for the first time.
This year, OHCD used a more targeted grant-review process to ensure funding went where it is most needed. Proposals were evaluated by service category, and each category had defined funding ranges to support a balanced, coordinated system of care.
Contracts for these projects are expected to begin Feb. 1, 2026.
The Request for Grant Applications (RFGA) for Fiscal Year 2025-26 funding was open from July 23 to Aug. 29, 2025. OHCD received 23 applications requesting approximately $18.3 million in funding.
In addition to the $6 million awarded through the RFGA, the OHCD is utilizing the remaining $5.1 million in Homelessness and Housing Funds to support Requests for Proposals for initiatives to respond to urgent community needs:
- Safe Overnight Sleeping Programs in East and West Hawaiʻi.
- Emergency Shelters in East and West Hawaiʻi.
- Permanent Housing with Supports Program in West Hawaiʻi.
The Homelessness and Housing Fund was established in 2022 and is currently allocated no less than $9 million of Residential Tier Two property tax revenues annually to address homelessness and housing in Hawai’i County. The fund is set to expire in 2027.
Further details on grant awards and categories can be found below.
Outreach programs: $820,000
These programs provide critical, front-line interventions that bring essential resources and support directly to individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Examples of outreach include, but are not limited to: Street outreach, street medicine and mobile hygiene.
Organization: Going Home Hawaiʻi
Project: Justice Navigator
Area Served: Hilo, Puna, Hāmākua
Population Served: Justice-involved men and women, unsheltered
Services Offered: Street outreach, case management, housing navigation, care coordination
Award Amount: $80,000
Organization: Neighborhood Place of Puna
Project: Family & Youth Street Outreach Program
Area Served: Hilo, Puna, Hāmākua
Population Served: Families, youth, unsheltered
Services Offered: Street outreach, case management, housing navigation, housing placement
Award Amount: $400,000
Organization: Project Vision Hawaiʻi
Project: Street Outreach from Hilo to Kona
Area Served: Hilo, Pāhoa, Kona
Population Served: Unsheltered adults
Services Offered: Street outreach, street medicine, mobile hygiene, case management, housing navigation
Award Amount: $340,000
Long-Term Housing Programs: $2,120,000
These programs provide permanent or long-term housing with no time limits or a minimum stay of at least 12 months, giving participants the stability needed for lasting success. Examples include residential housing programs, permanent supportive housing, permanent housing with services, and master-leasing models.
Organization: Bridge House, Inc.
Project: Recovery Housing and Family Housing Program
Area Served: Kona, Kealakekua
Population Served: Men, women, families with children
Services Offered: Sober living, recovery housing, care coordination
Award Amount: $430,000
Organization: Going Home Hawaiʻi
Project: Re-Entry and Recovery Housing
Area Served: Hilo, Kona
Population Served: Justice-involved men and women, adults
Services Offered: Recovery housing, care coordination
Award Amount: $790,000
Organization: HOPE Services Hawaiʻi, Inc.
Project: HOPE Long-Term Housing
Area Served: Hilo, Pāhoa, Kona, Honokaʻa, island-wide
Population Served: Men, women, youth, kūpuna, families, couples
Services Offered: Permanent supportive housing, supportive housing, affordable housing, master leasing
Award Amount: $900,000
Support Programs: $3,060,000
These programs provide essential supportive services that help individuals obtain housing, stay housed, and avoid returning to homelessness. Examples include mental and behavioral health services, substance use treatment, case management, rapid re-housing, rental assistance, one-stop housing resource navigation, and homelessness prevention, diversion, or recidivism-reduction efforts.
Organization: Big Island Substance Abuse Council (BISAC)
Project: Hulihia Ke Ola: Detox & Stabilization Program
Area Served: Hilo
Population Served: Men, women, unsheltered, unstably housed
Services Offered: Detox treatment, care coordination, housing navigation
Award Amount: $600,000
Organization: Big Island Substance Abuse Council (BISAC)
Project: Mohala Family Resource Center
Area Served: Hilo
Population Served: men, women, children, homeless or at-risk
Services Offered: Substance use treatment, mental health services, care coordination, housing navigation
Award Amount: $200,000
Organization: Hale Kipa
Project: Transitional Living and Housing Stabilization Program
Area Served: Kona
Population Served: Youth, former foster, unsheltered, at-risk
Services Offered: Transitional housing, case management, mental health services
Award Amount: $450,000
Organization: HOPE Services Hawaiʻi, Inc.
Project: HOPE Support Programs
Area Served: Island-wide
Population Served: Individuals, couples, families, sheltered and unsheltered, homeless, newly housed from homelessness with severe, complex, persistent needs
Services Offered: Specialized case management, behavioral health care, psychiatric care
Award Amount: $600,000
Organization: Lōkahi Treatment Centers
Project: Recovery and Housing Stability Program
Area Served: Hilo, Pāhoa, Waikoloa, Kona
Population Served: Individuals, youth, justice-involved, unsheltered, unstably housed
Services Offered: Behavioral health, substance use, mental health treatment, group therapy, housing navigation
Award Amount: $260,000
Organization: Neighborhood Place of Puna
Project: Neighborhood Place Resource Center
Area Served: Hilo, Puna, Hāmākua
Population Served: Families, youth, unsheltered, unstably housed
Services Offered: Drop-in centers, case management, resource navigation, housing navigation, safe day space
Award Amount: $950,000