Honolulu’s newest homelessness czar will be Roy Miyahira, a retired operations manager who spent much of his career at Nestlé Waters in California.

Miyahira is taking on a big job. The city’s unsheltered homeless population doubled during the past decade, and much of the local response entails acquiring more shelter space. Officials added more than 500 beds to the city’s shelter supply last year, a city press release said, and Miyahira’s experience in operations and logistics will be an asset for adding and managing more beds.

“His dedication to teamwork, efficiency, and innovative results-driven solutions will help us build a more coordinated and effective response to homelessness on O‘ahu,” Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in Tuesday’s press release.

Miyahira’s title will be director of homeless solutions. He replaces Sam Moku, who served as Honolulu’s homelessness coordinator throughout 2024 and then resigned citing family reasons. Moku replaced Trish La Chica, who in 2022 served as executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Homelessness until Gov. Josh Green appointed her to an empty House seat in early 2023.

“Roy’s extensive operational experience makes him a strong fit for this role,” Anton Krucky, director of Community Services, said in the release. “We are eager to see his leadership in action as he implements our strategies. He will be building his team within the Department of Community Services and utilizing the City’s full range of community support programs.”

Miyahira earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa. His first day will be Feb. 18.

Correction: Miyahira’s name was misspelled in a previous version of this story.