Counting the Homeless

Last year, the official count of unsheltered homeless in all of Wahiawa and the North Shore was 198, and only 49 homeless were counted between Kahuku and Kaneohe. Surely, many more people in our region are homeless. This lack of accurate counting adversely impacts funding for support services.

The Point in Time Count is an annual census of homeless, both sheltered and unsheltered, used by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to determine federal funding for homeless initiatives in each community. In other words, it is important to make sure we go out and properly count.

Volunteer training sessions are ongoing around Oahu in advance of the January 23-26, 2017 counting period. Volunteers will spend 3-5 hours with a team of other volunteers, during daylight hours, either in the morning or in the afternoon. Volunteers are not expected to go out at night. The goal is to identify as many people as possible who were homeless on the night of January 23, 2017.

On Thursday, January 19th, a training session will be held at the LDS Church on 538 Avocado St in Wahiawa. Another session may be held on the North Shore, but details have not yet been confirmed. Please call my office at 586-7330 for more information or check out PartnersInCareOahu.org.

Large numbers of homeless residents have been a concern for several years now. Sadly, the official counts have not matched the reality in our district and the low numbers have limited supportive services. Without volunteers to help conduct this census, our district will continue to be shorted funds and services.

In addition to the surveyors, other volunteers are needed to help process and count the data, assist the surveyors by driving and refreshment support, and coordinating small, $5 gift cards to be donated to the homeless. Time and money are always in helpful.

Please help me and the other volunteers put in a strong effort this year to bring more attention and support to the homeless within our communities.

PUC to hold windmill meeting at Kahuku High & Intermediate School on February 2, 6:30 pm.

Na Pua Makani plans to build new wind turbines as tall as 66 story buildings less than a half mile from Kahuku Town. The public is invited to comment on the 23 additional poles and transmission lines needed to support the new project. This may be the last opportunity for our community to comment directly to the Public Utilities Commission on Na Pua Makani’s plans. Please mark your calendar and take time to share your opinions with the PUC on February 2nd.