Let’s send an email today that can really change lives
 
A few months ago, I wrote a column entitled “No Room At The Inn.”
 
Since writing that column, I haven’t slept well. At night, I lie awake thinking about that family living under the bridge, in the woods, in their car.
 
I spent hours on the phone recently trying to find a man and woman a place to sleep for the night. I got nothing.
 
I got nothing except disconnected numbers, voice mail, and messages from overworked social workers with good intentions, telling me to “have them come in and apply, but there’s nothing available at the moment.”
 
Since writing that column, I’ve spoken to dozens of nonprofit providers who serve the homeless community, and I’ve spoken at length with those who have “lived experience” actually being unhoused.
 
Here’s the truth: There is NO safe, dry, or legal place for an unhoused person on Kaua‘i to sleep, whether on the ground, in a tent, or in a car.
 
Yes, there are “women’s shelters” and “family houses” with a handful of rooms or beds, but normally there’s a long waiting list.
 
The upcoming Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Kaua‘i County Operating Budget is now under review by the Council.
 
The proposed budget includes $500,000 to fund qualified nonprofit organizations that submit grant applications for services, outreach, emergency shelters and related items for unhoused people.
 
The budget for these items for the previous year: $500,000.
 
The County actually received grant applications from various nonprofits totaling approximately $1.7 million. That’s $1.2 million more than was available in the budget.
 
Without question, there’s a critical lack of emergency beds, temporary shelters, direct outreach services, transitional support, and safe overnight parking zones.
 
Also without question: there are many qualified, experienced, and dedicated Kaua‘i nonprofits willing to step up and fill the need for those things, if funding was available to do so.
 
If the Kaua‘i County Council stepped up to the plate and amended its proposed budget from the current $500,000 to at least $1.5 million, it would have a direct and positive impact on the lives of so many people.
 
In December 2025 the Hawaiʻi County Council authorized $6 million in similar grants for its homeless programs/services. Additionally, the Council is auditing those grant awards to ensure the funds are well-spent.
 
One of the many continuing initiatives on the Big Island made possible by these funds: “Safe Zones,” overnight shelters in which 50 unhoused adults can sleep. Accommodations aren’t fancy: a cot under a large tent, with a toilet, a shower and one meal. They’re not campgrounds where people live 24/7.
 
Kaua‘i has NOTHING. If you should find yourself living in your car, police and others will inevitably tap your window in the middle of the night and tell you to move along.
 
But there’s nowhere for you to go.
 
An increase in grant-funding to qualified nonprofits that includes “Save Zones” as a priority item is a critical need that must be filled immediately.
 
Yes, we need permanent affordable housing. Yes, we need increased mental health services, addiction treatment, job training, and basic on-the-ground outreach.
 
But at the core — at ground level – is this simple, unavoidable truth: To even get a START at improving their lives, unhoused people need safe, legal places to sleep.
 
Please join me today in emailing our County Council (councilmembers@kauai.gov) and asking them to take action, increase the County budget for homeless services, safe zones, and facilities, and help our brothers and sisters living in their cars, in the bushes, and on the streets.
 
Let’s send an email today that can really change lives.

Sincerely,
Gary Hooser
808-652-4279