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As construction of the Kukuiola Emergency Shelter and Assessment Center moves toward its anticipated completion in early 2027, the County of Hawaiʻi is taking the next step toward opening the facility by seeking an experienced organization to manage and operate the site.
Through a Request for Proposals (RFP), the County’s Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) is seeking an entity with at least five years of relevant experience to manage and operate the Kailua-Kona campus. Proposals are due by 4 p.m. Oct. 20.
The selected operator will oversee the emergency homeless shelter, overnight safe parking, supportive services and one-stop resource and assessment center. The operator will manage day-to-day operations and create a safe, welcoming environment where people experiencing or at risk of homelessness can meet immediate needs and connect with community resources as they work toward permanent housing.
“Addressing homelessness requires a strong, coordinated response from our entire community, and Kukuiola represents an important investment in that work,” said Mayor Kimo Alameda. “This facility will bring together shelter, services and support in West Hawaiʻi while creating new opportunities to help people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness move toward greater stability and permanent housing. Finding the right partner to operate Kukuiola is an important step toward making this vision a reality.”
The Kukuiola Emergency Shelter and Assessment Center will include 16 emergency shelter units, overnight safe parking, the one-stop resource and assessment center, community restroom and shower facilities, a shared kitchen, case management space, and areas for community activities and connection. The emergency shelter will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The one-stop resource and assessment center will provide a daytime place for people to take care of basic needs and connect with services.
“Kukuiola is about more than providing a place to stay,” County Housing Administrator Kehaulani Costa said. “The one-stop resource and assessment center will give the members of our community a place to take care of basic needs and connect with services and housing resources. We want people to feel welcome and supported as they work toward finding a place to call home.”
Kukuiola, which means “light of life,” is the first phase of a larger planned housing and service campus designed to bring shelter, services and permanent housing together in one place. Phase 2 will add 50 permanent housing units with support services, while Phase 3, currently in the master planning stage, is envisioned as multifamily housing.
Located off Kealakehe Parkway south of the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center, the first phase that is currently under construction is supported by a $10 million federal grant secured by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono. Heartwood Pacific LLC is constructing the facility.
Funding for the operation, programs and services of the Kukuiola Emergency Shelter and Assessment Center comes from the County’s Homelessness and Housing Fund (HHF).
Interested organizations should review the full RFP for eligibility requirements, scope of services, and submission instructions. The full RFP and procurement information are available through the County’s procurement portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/hawaiicounty/projects/292141.
For more information about Kukuiola and future community updates, visit www.housing.hawaiicounty.gov. |
