Governor Josh Green, M.D. hosted a blessing for the first kauhale site built under his Administration.
The medical respite kauhale, named Pūlama Ola, which is housed in the backyard of the Governor’s residence on the grounds of the Department of Health parking lot, is a community housing project that will serve inpatient and emergency room patients discharged from urban Honolulu hospitals who would otherwise exit medical care into homelessness. It will include round-the-clock staffing for intake, supervision, and care coordination. Registered nurses will also be on staff to make daily rounds for basic care needs.
Governor Green opened the ceremony, providing details of the project constructed by the nonprofit HomeAid Hawai‘i (HAH), that will be operated by Project Vision Hawaiʻi (PVH). Kahu Kordell Kekoa conducted a traditional Hawaiian blessing of each room within the 10-unit village, which also includes a nurse’s station and a publicly accessible hygiene trailer.
In a statement Governor Green said, “By embracing the idea of ‘yes in my backyard,’ we have the power to create a more compassionate community that nurtures change from within. Our partners who have made this kauhale a reality have shown us that excellence and care can be emulated, and that by working together, we can achieve long-lasting change. Just as aloha comes from within and is shared outwardly, we too can embody the spirit of aloha and inspire others to do the same.”
Unlike the state’s plan for permanent kauhale villages, which may include tiny homes, multi-family dwellings, apartment buildings, or other feasible forms, all run with a collaborative community-based focus, the medical respite kauhale is temporary.
The state is simultaneously working with private and community-based partners to make available additional medical respite space within existing community facilities. As these spaces become available, the need for the medical respite kauhale will decline and units will be relocated to other areas, with the intention of being used at a long-term kauhale site.
HomeAid Hawaiʻi is a convener for developers, funders, providers, and homeless to co-design and build reduced-cost housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness. The true cost for Pūlama Ola is estimated at $471,500. Through HomeAid Hawaiʻi, 100 percent of the costs were donated through volunteer labor, in-kind material and supplies, and financial contributions from The Queen’s Health System, First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, HMSA, and Home Depot. The true construction and development costs include planning and design, site preparations, infrastructure connectivity, furnishings, fencing, and safety precautions. The project is estimated to save taxpayers an estimated $800,000 per year in proper discharge planning for medically frail homeless not utilizing hospitals for step-down care.
Photo credit: Office of Governor Green