Housing Agency Homeless Program Grant recipients announced

Published on March 25, 2026

LĪHU‘E – The County of Kaua‘i’s Housing Agency announces the recipients of its 2026 Homeless Program Grants.

Of the 12 proposals received, 10 were eligible for consideration. A selection committee reviewed and scored all the eligible projects and selected the top five proposals to fund for a total of $500,000.

The Housing Agency is pleased to share the list of projects that received funding this year.

• Family Life Center, Homeless Street Outreach $90,000 requested, $90,000 awarded. Family Life Center is our only street outreach provider and directly connected to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). This necessary funding increases their capacity to serve unhoused individuals by funding an outreach position and a quarter of an administrative support position, allowing outreach workers to focus on their outreach duties.
  
  
• Family Life Center, Elima Rapid Rehousing (RRH) $85,000 requested, $85,000 awarded. Most of the funding goes directly to supporting the housing of chronically homeless individuals with security deposits and rental assistance. The remainder of the funds will staff half of a case manager position and training for that position. This is the only funding available to house homeless singles, as most current funding focuses on families, women, and children.
  
  
• Family Life Center, Ho’olanani Shelter $70,000 requested, $70,000 awarded. This award provides critical operating funds for their Kauai Shelter that houses larger families who have difficulty finding private rentals. Last year’s funding supported large families with children with special needs who were particularly vulnerable on the streets. Most of the funding supports utilities, maintenance, and shelter supplies. The remainder of the funding provides for a quarter of a Program Assistant's salary.
  
  
• Project Vision Hawai‘i, Pulama Ola Kaua‘i $270,000 requested, a revised budget was requested, and $171,163.85 awarded. Project Visions Funding request is primarily for salaries associated with a new Medical Respite facility opening in April 2026 and their already established outreach positions. They recently obtained a long-term lease (15 years) to operate a five-unit Medical Respite facility, with an additional thirteen affordable units for the unhoused coming online at a later date. Medical respite is a huge need here on Kauai, as there are many of our unhoused who are not sick enough to remain in the hospital, yet they are released to recover from various medical conditions and or surgeries in unsanitary conditions. Eventually, this project will be sustainable through Medicaid and Hospital contracts and funding.
  
  
• Hale Opio, Ho’omalamamalama Housing Pathways, $166,750 requested, a revised budget was requested, and $83,836.15 awarded. This is a new program, with all funding going toward the outreach position to provide housing navigation support and case management for unhoused youth ages 12 through young adulthood (26). This population faces additional barriers, including difficulty navigating complex systems. This new position will be fully dedicated to serving those youth who are justice-involved, aging out of foster care, or otherwise vulnerable.

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