HONOLULU (AP) — The federal government is awarding $14 million in grants to address homelessness and to support housing for low- and moderate-income people in Hawaii.
Hawaii’s congressional delegation announced the grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday.
“Homelessness is one of the most serious and urgent challenges we face in our state, and we need to act now to address it,” U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said in a statement. “With the governor’s new working group of state, county and federal leaders, we’re beginning to see a real and collective seriousness of purpose in solving homelessness from all levels of government.”
As a part of that new task force, the Democratic senator said he will work to ensure that federal funds continue to provide Hawaii and the city of Honolulu critical resources to address the housing shortage.
Most of the money will go toward developing housing and to providing affordable places to live, with $7.3 million going through the Community Development Block Grant Program to develop urban communities and housing for low- and moderate-income people. Another $5.2 million will come from a program designed to help low- and very-low-income families with affordable housing. About $1 million will be specifically for homeless people, and $641,000 will help provide housing assistance for people with HIV and AIDS.
“Hawaii’s homelessness rate is already among the highest in the country,” said U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. “The extreme shortage of truly accessible and affordable housing on every island makes it increasingly difficult for families and individuals with limited resources to find a safe, stable place to live.”
Although the money doesn’t entirely solve the problem, the grants will help support local programs that serve those who are most in need, Gabbard added.