A Full-Year Homeless Emergency

Gov. David Ige signed a supplemental proclamation to extend the state of emergency for two more months.

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Gov. David Ige has issued a sixth emergency proclamation on homelessness, ensuring that the state remains in a crisis mode for a full year.

Hawaii has been in the state of emergency for homelessness since Ige signed his first proclamation on Oct. 16, 2015. Since then, he has been issuing supplemental proclamations on a two-month interval.

Ige signed the latest proclamation Thursday, extending the crisis until Oct. 19. He characterized the move as continuing “positive momentum.”

Scott Morishige homeless presser with Governor Ige and Director of Dept of Human Services on $12 million dollars to fund homeless issues. 21 july 2016
Scott Morishige, the governor’s coordinator on homelessness, says the state is making progress nearly a year after Gov. David Ige first declared the state of emergency on homelessness. Cory Lum/Civil Beat

According to a “point-in-time” count released in June, the state’s homeless population stood at 7,921 — a 28 percent jump since 2011.

But Scott Morishige, the governor’s coordinator on homelessness, said the state’s making progress.

“Collectively, our state is moving forward with a unified strategy that addresses three levers of change: affordable housing, health and human services, and public safety,” Morishige said in a statement. “All stakeholders are working together in unison across multiple sectors. This coordinated and persistent approach is moving people off the streets.”

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