HONU begins operation in Whitmore Village

The City’s HONU (Homeless Outreach and Navigation for Unsheltered Persons) program began operation of a second facility in Whitmore Village, Wahiawā on Monday, May 10, 2021. HONU, also operational out of Ke‘ehi Lagoon, provides temporary shelter and triage services while navigating people on O‘ahu experiencing homelessness to shelter.

Operation of HONU is done through a joint effort by the Honolulu Police Department, the City’s Department of Community Services, and the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Homelessness. The program is funded by the State of Hawai‘i.

“HONU is funded by the State Ohana Zone. It is an excellent example of State and City collaboration,” said Mayor’s Office of Housing and Homelessness Executive Director Anton Krucky. “It also is a great example of communities willing to work with our homeless individuals in their own communities.”

Due to the impact of COVID-19 on the existing shelter systems, both the State and the City recognized the need for more immediate shelter options that implemented social distancing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From April 2020 to December 2020, the City stood up a Provisional Outdoor Screening and Triage (POST) facility at Ke‘ehi Lagoon, an extension of the HONU program, that temporarily repurposed resources from the $6 million Ohana Zone contract.

“We are glad that HONU will be in Wahiawā for the next 90 days to serve the community and give unsheltered individuals a safe place to receive much needed services,” said Acting Honolulu Police Lieutenant Dan O’Neal, who has been working with the POST program since its inception.

So far this year, the HONU program at Ke‘ehi Lagoon admitted over 300 unsheltered guests with 169 moved into more permanent living arrangements.