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Dr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Council Chair and
<br />Members of the Hawaii County Council
<br />December 10, 2025
<br />Page 2 of 5
<br />Prevention Services
<br />At the December 2, 2025 Finance Committee meeting, Council members requested additional details on
<br />prevention -related services. Prevention remains a priority for our department and for all 12 nominated
<br />programs, with an emphasis on stabilizing households before they fall into homelessness -whether during
<br />periods of unstable housing (NPP, Bridge House, Lokahi) or at critical system -exit points such as
<br />incarceration (GHH), hospitals (BISAC, HOPE), and foster care (Hale Kipa).
<br />From the full slate of 12 nominations, all of which integrate elements of prevention, we'd like to
<br />highlight three examples below. For a comprehensive overview of all 12 nominated projects - including
<br />program activities, populations served, service areas, requested and awarded funding - please see Exhibit
<br />D of the original packet submitted to the Finance Committee on November 12, 2025.
<br />• Neighborhood Place of Puna (NPP) — Providing family -centered supports that intervene early in
<br />crises to stabilize households and avoid homelessness. Services include housing & resource
<br />navigation, application & financial assistance, CWS support, and beyond. So far in HHF Yr. 3,
<br />NPP fielded over 2,000 calls/drop ins, and nearly 200 referrals from other agencies islandwide,
<br />including the County. Their interventions prevented homelessness for more than 600 households.
<br />• Lokahi Treatment Center — Offering behavioral health treatment, supportive services, and early
<br />identification of housing instability through intake screening (SDOH assessment), case
<br />management, and referral to rental and deposit assistance programs. So far in HHF Yr. 3, Lokahi
<br />connected nearly 400 Clients to housing navigation services along with critical substance use and
<br />mental health supports.
<br />• Going Home Hawaii (GHH) — Working with individuals up to 90 days pre-release from
<br />incarceration to secure housing and services, reducing exits to homelessness. Services include
<br />housing placement, assistance obtaining IDs, vital documents, insurance, and social benefits, and
<br />stabilization plans. Participants are transported directly from courts, probation, or jail into GHH
<br />housing, preventing "gap days" that almost always result in homelessness, relapse, or
<br />reincarceration.
<br />While prevention is essential, we must simultaneously respond to the urgency of households currently
<br />experiencing unsheltered homelessness right now. Balancing prevention, diversion, and long-term
<br />stabilization is central to the HHF mission, and limited funding requires strategic distribution of every
<br />dollar across all three areas. We aim for a future where unsheltered homelessness is so minimal that the
<br />majority of resources can be directed toward prevention.
<br />Outreach Coverage and Rural Service Delivery
<br />Council members also requested more information regarding outreach services, particularly in rural regions
<br />in North and South Hawaii.
<br />Data from the Hawaii County Engagement Hui (attached as Exhibit I) shows the greatest concentrations of
<br />unsheltered individuals in Hilo then Kona, with emerging needs in Pahoa, Kea`au, Ocean View, and
<br />Honoka`a. In reviewing applications, we considered both HHF proposals and the existing landscape of
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