HONOLULU, Sept. 1 — Hawaiʻi County’s Homelessness and Housing Fund, a $9 million annual program financed through property taxes on nonresident-owned homes, is set to sunset in June 2027, and the local political calculus over its fate is now squarely on the table. The fund, which draws revenue from vacation homes, vacant properties, and investment holdings, supports a full continuum of services: safe overnight sleeping programs, emergency shelters, permanent housing with supportive services, outreach, long-term housing, mental health care, substance use treatment, rental assistance, and stabilization services.
The stakes are measurable. Bridging the Gap, the neighbor islands Continuum of Care for Homeless Services, reported that in 2025 on Hawaiʻi Island, two households became homeless for every one that moved into permanent housing.
UHERO data shows rental rates have climbed nearly 50% since 2019, and a 2020 U.S. Government Accountability Office analysis found that a $100 monthly median rent increase correlates with a 9% rise in homelessness. Jennifer Kagiwada, a Hawaiʻi County Council member representing District 2, made the case for continuation in a Civil Beat essay published August 30, 2026.
She argued that ending the fund would shift burdens onto emergency rooms, first responders, social service agencies, parks, beaches, and downtown businesses — while leaving vulnerable residents with fewer pathways to stability as housing affordability worsens. Kagiwada also pushed back on assumptions about who becomes homeless, emphasizing that many kūpuna, or elders, are aging into homelessness due to rising housing costs, fixed incomes, increased medical expenses, and limited affordable housing — not poor decisions.
Strategically, the fund’s continuation is framed as a policy choice: asking those who benefit from Hawaiʻi’s housing market but do not rely on it as a primary residence to help address community challenges. The broader question for the county council is whether to let the levy expire or strengthen it before the 2027 sunset arrives.
