Neighborhood Board Committee To Study Homelessness In Kaneohe

The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board has formed a committee to study homelessness in the area.

Deborah Collins
Chairwoman of
new committee
on homelessness.

At its May 19 meeting, the Board appointed members Mahealani Cypher, Deborah Collins and Mo Radke to the group. Ms. Collins will be the chairwoman.

The decision came in response to a community member’s concerns about funding to address homelessness issues in Windward Oahu. The community member, K. C. Connors, alerted the Board that an official survey in January found only a handful of homeless people in Kaneohe. The low count was related to a lack of volunteers to conduct the survey.

Board members are concerned that the low count could lead to reduced funding from the federal government.

A count in 2015 found 330 homeless people in the area from Kaneohe to Waimanalo. That included 48 chronically homeless people living without shelter.

The Neighborhood Board has heard concerns about homelessness off and on for several years. In 2010, residents reported problems with homeless people living in brush around the Kaneohe Stream Bridge on the Kamehameha Highway. In late 2014, officials cleared a homeless encampment next to the Kaneohe Police Station and Library. And a year ago, the Board reported concerns about homeless people around businesses on Kahuhipa Street and at Pahia Road.

The new committee is expected to report to the full Board at a future meeting.

Please join us for all of our meetings. If you are unable to attend, you may provide testimony online and contact Neighborhood Board members directly.

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