(BIVN) – An informational briefing will be held on Tuesday evening, April 9, to discuss potential kauhale locations in Hilo.

The meeting comes amid community concerns following reports of a government-sanctioned homeless encampment, or “safe space”, near the Hilo Lagoon Center.

From a news release from the County of Hawaiʻi Office of Housing and Community Development:

Efforts to identify sites for potential kauhale on Hawaiʻi Island are ongoing by the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions and the County of Hawai’i Office of Housing and Community Development.

Join John Mizuno, the Governor’s Coordinator on Homelessness and Housing Solutions, and County of Hawaiʻi Housing Administrator Susan Kunz to learn more about potential kauhale sites for the Hilo area.

The Kauhale initiative is explained by the Statewide Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions on its website:

The defining feature of a Kauhale is that it functions like a village, with people taking care of place and each other. Our goal is to establish 12 Kauhale projects over the next three years, with 6 on Oʻahu, and 2 in each of Hawaiʻi, Maui, and Kauaʻi Counties. However, the actual location of Kauhale will depend heavily upon where land is available, and the presence of strong community partners, willing to lead the creation and operation of each village.

Construction costs for Kauhale will vary widely depending on design decisions, site conditions, and infrastructure needs of each property. Operating costs for a Kauhale may initially be comparable to the operating costs for transitional housing projects of a similar size, but the goal is to reduce operating costs over time, as residents build capacity to assume greater responsibility for various aspects of village operations such as security, maintenance, and improvement projects.

Every Kauhale will be a partnership between government and community with State funding used to empower community champions and to fill resource gaps. The Kauhale Initiative was first inspired by community-based efforts like Puʻuhonua O Waianae and Hui Mahiai Āina.

State and County officials will be meeting with the public at the Aupuni Center at 101 Pauahi Street from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Statewide and County officials also plan to hold a similar informational briefing in the future to discuss potential kauhale sites in West Hawaiʻi.