The Hawaiʻi County Council on Wednesday approved a resolution authorizing $6 million in grants for housing and homelessness programs, passing the measure on a 5-4 vote.
Resolution 397-25 allows the Office of Housing and Community Development to award funding to eight nonprofit organizations for 12 projects focused on outreach, long-term housing and support services. Council Chair Holeka Inaba, Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz, Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas and Councilman Matt Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder voted against the measure.
The funding comes from residential tier two property tax revenue and represents the fourth funding cycle of the county’s Homelessness and Housing Fund. Under county code, grants exceeding $25,000 require approval by council resolution.
According to the resolution, the awards are intended to support initiatives aligned with the county’s Strategic Roadmap for Homelessness and Housing, adopted in 2022. The Office of Housing and Community Development issued a request for grant applications in July 2025 and received 23 proposals seeking a share of the $6 million available.
The approved grants include $820,000 for outreach programs, $2.12 million for long-term housing and $3.06 million for support programs.
During council deliberations, several members raised concerns about accountability, funding levels and long-term outcomes.
Inaba said he was concerned about multiple awards going to the same organizations and said he wanted clearer data to evaluate the effectiveness of the programs.
“I did have concerns regarding the double-dipping across awards to the same non-profit. I did take the time last week to meet with housing,” Inaba said during Wednesday’s meeting. “I have not been able to see for myself the numbers.”
Housing Administrator Kehaulani Costa said she was hesitant to release more detailed information at this stage.
“I’m a little uncomfortable about publishing that level of detail as a communication to the council right now,” Costa said. “I don’t think it’s consistent with the level of detail that’s asked from other grant programs.”
Kierkiewicz questioned the scale of funding allocated to homelessness compared with other county programs.
“There is no other county program that receives the scale of funding as the homeless and housing fund,” she said, noting that awards totaled $7.5 million in fiscal year 2022, $9.7 million the following fiscal year, $10.1 million in fiscal year 2024 and $6 million in the current resolution.
Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder said he was concerned the county may be following a path like California’s approach to homelessness.
“My underlying concerns when I drive through Hilo and I’m listening to our police force describe that more than 50% of their calls are homeless related, I feel like we’re moving towards becoming California,” he said.
Supporters of the resolution pointed to county data showing progress alongside ongoing need.
Brandee Menino, chief executive officer of HOPE Services Hawaiʻi, noted that a worker in Hawaiʻi County must earn $39.90 per hour to afford a modest two-bedroom unit at fair market rent, and someone earning minimum wage would need to work 114 hours per week to avoid being rent-burdened.
According to the Hawaiʻi County Engagement Hui Data Presentation, from August 2023 through October 2025, 536 households were no longer experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Those households included 175 families, comprising 632 people, 270 adults and 362 children, including 126 age 5 or younger. The data showed that 25.7% of individuals encountered during outreach efforts were no longer unsheltered.
The presentation also showed current unsheltered populations concentrated in several areas, including 441 individuals in Hilo (96720), 166 in Kona (96740), 47 in Pahoa (96778), 24 in Ocean View (96737), 15 in Keaʻau (96749) and 11 in Honokaʻa (96727).
The resolution’s narrow passage authorizes the Office of Housing and Community Development to proceed with the grant awards to the identified nonprofit organizations.
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