Office of the Governor — News Release — Gov. Green’s Kauhale Initiative is Housing and Healing People

GOVERNOR GREEN'S KAUHALE INITIATIVE IS HOUSING AND HEALING PEOPLE
System Strengthening Began Before Audit Report Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2026

HONOLULU - At the direction of Governor Josh Green, the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions (SOHHS) has accepted all 11 recommendations in a report by the state Office of the Auditor. SOHHS began strengthening controls in 2025 under the leadership of Coordinator Jun Yang, working to recover any improper payments - and asserts that the audit report contains significant factual errors, which it seeks to correct.

"Our kauhale are delivering results across Hawai'i with nearly 900 beds so far, providing stable housing and human services to more than 2,900 of our formerly houseless neighbors, including medically fragile and older adults, families with children, people with behavioral health needs and survivors of domestic violence," said Governor Green. "We welcome accountability and will continue strengthening the program, but we will not lose sight of what matters most: kauhale are working, they are changing lives - and we are going to keep building on that progress because the people of our state deserve a real solution to this generational problem."

From 2024 to 2026, the combined statewide count of our unsheltered neighbors fell from 4,042 to 3,513, a reduction of 13.1%, according to the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. On Oʻahu, it fell from 2,766 to 2,208, a reduction of 20.2%. Oʻahu's sheltered population increased from 1,728 to 2,331. In 2026, sheltered people outnumbered unsheltered people on Oʻahu for the first time in a full PIT Count since 2018.

The audit report mischaracterizes a significant portion of the $6.1 million in what it calls "unauthorized payments," including ​​$2.5 million paid to HomeAid for the Alana Ola Pono project and $2.4 million in payments to HomeAid for a predevelopment agreement. SOHHS documentation shows these payments were, in fact, authorized.

In recent months, SOHHS has also aggressively taken steps to recover public funds for expenses that were deemed improper, including:

• More than $16,000 in unauthorized travel expenses, which includes costs for mainland and interisland travel and first-class airfares;
• $300,000 in office and administrative expenses; and
• Approximately $170,000 for work performed by subcontractors and consultants for HomeAid that were not directly related to the Kauhale Initiative.

The report also misquoted then DHS Deputy Director Joe Campos, who now serves as director, attributing a statement to Campos when the statement was in fact, an inference made by a member of the auditor's own team.

SOHHS concurs with the 11 recommendations and is committed to making the necessary improvements. Many of which began prior to the publication of the audit. SOHHS' responsibility includes both advancing housing for people experiencing homelessness and demonstrating that public funds are properly authorized, supported and used for accepted work.

About the Kauhale Initiative
Kauhale projects consist of both traditional tiny home villages and adaptive reuse of existing housing and other facilities. Most projects are operated by established homeless service providers, including HOPE Services, Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Health and Harm Reduction Center, Project Vision Hawaiʻi, Mental Health Kokua, the Institute for Human Services and the YWCA.

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