'Windward Kauhale' tiny home village coming to Kaneohe to house the homeless

KANEOHE, Hawaii (Island News) - Gov. Josh Green's administration continues to address one of his top priorities- fighting homelessness in Hawaii. The governor is working on opening a tiny home village soon in Windward Oahu.

“Windward Kauhale” will take up to 34 people as residents. This village will have communal bathrooms, a laundry unit, 24/7 security as well as medical care on site. It is expected to last around five years.

Many said providing these tiny homes for homeless people helps everyone on Oahu.

"Some of them just need help and they’re good, innocent people. Many do not have it all together because they come from abusive homes or they have mental health conditions," said Nancy Viernes Torres, a Kaneohe resident.

Torres adds homelessness in Hawaii has everything to do with high prices and not with drugs and crimes. She does not believe building kauhale villages will invite crime. Another resident, Ryan Mohika said Kaneohe is a great place to get back on your feet if you have been struggling.

“It’s a great community to have this tiny home village. We do have a big homeless population here and we have to get them off the streets and into homes. This will make a big impact to Kaneohe and all of Hawaii,” said Mohika.

Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole said in a statement:

“We look forward to walking alongside you on this journey to serve the Windward side’s most vulnerable people, our ohana, safely and with great care. Through this kauhale effort, we have seen the results and we are confident that with community, we can heal the community."

By Shanila Kabir of Island News

Available at https://www.kitv.com/news/local/windward-kauhale-tiny-home-village-coming-to-kaneohe-to-house-the-homeless/article_375f2822-b416-11ee-a225-e7c08300f9fe.html