Puahala Transitional Housing Bolsters Hope

Fourteen families who were residing at the Next Step Homeless Shelter moved into the previously uninhabitable units, which were refurbished and converted into transitional housing through an innovative partnership with work-line inmate crews from Halawa Correctional Facility.

"I would say that the general population here at Puahala got the best of the deal," said Governor Lingle. "They got 14 outstanding families who are striving to do better in life."

Each family will develop a Family Service Plan with goals toward self-sufficiency and will be provided with intensive services to transition to other permanent housing within two years.

"It's meant to be an interim. It's not meant to be something we're going to do throughout public housing. It's just a way to give back at this time because there are no other transitions," said Public Housing Board Member Kaulana Park, who also serves as the deputy director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and previously served as the State's Homeless Solutions Team Leader.

The Governor visited with families residing at the shelter, who shared their appreciation for the Administration's program.

"[We're] trying to get our life back on track and get out of this transitional shelter, into regular housing, where we can stabilize ourselves and it will be better for all of us," said resident Tiffany Medeiros-Leong.

In March, Governor Lingle delivered testimony before the Hawai`i Public Housing Board in support of her plan to convert the public housing units into transitional housing.

"I think it's the mission of the state to help families like these," the Governor said in her testimony. "This is about human progress. It's about increasing the quality of life for people here in our state."

• Read more about the Administration's collaborative efforts to develop homeless solutions in Hawai`i.
• "Lingle Tours Transitional Housing Project," KITV-4, August 28, 2008