HONOLULU – Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced Wednesday that the City’s Department of Community Services is seeking a highly motivated, caring and passionate leader to serve as the City and County of Honolulu’s next Homeless Coordinator and drive execution on innovative solutions to address Oʻahu’s homeless crisis.
“Homelessness has long been one of Oʻahu’s most intractable problems, and our commitment to providing solutions in communities across this island has never been greater,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “Our next Homeless Coordinator must possess both the willingness to utilize a hands-on approach to help people on our streets and the vision to strategically address this crisis, and I am confident in our ability to find a capable leader to take on this challenge.”
Over the course of the 2024 calendar year, the City made significant progress with regard to the opening of additional facilities — especially facilities that include a medical care component — that provide assistance to Oʻahu’s homeless population. More than 500 of beds were added to the City’s inventory in 2024, including more than 60 at ʻAʻala Respite and offering, on a cumulative basis, over 1,200 bed uses over time.
The City’s new Homeless Coordinator will be principally responsible for continuing that momentum into 2025, beginning with the opening of Iwilei Center, a 100 bed shelter facility providing shelter and healing space for individuals and couples, including kūpuna, for those struggling on the street. The City expects to open that facility early this year.
“Given what is at stake, we are looking for someone who can be aggressive in helping us pick up the pace and get projects done, for the good of our island,” added Mayor Blangiardi. “We need to cut down the time it takes to get new facilities open and make new services available, because the reality of the situation demands that take unprecedented action.”
In addition to ensuring City-wide coordination and driving execution on solutions, the City’s next Homeless Coordinator will work to continue the unprecedented level of collaboration on issues related to homelessness between the City, the State of Hawaiʻi and Governor Josh Green. This person will also work closely with community, non-profit, private-sector and federal partners to ensure whole-of-island collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The City’s Homeless Coordinator oversees a dedicated team at the Department of Community Services that works hands-on with Honolulu’s Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE) experts to respond to individuals experiencing homelessness on a case-by-case basis.
The City’s next Homeless Coordinator will replace the outgoing Sam Moku, who resigned at the end of Mayor Blangiardi’s first term, citing family reasons.
Interested applicants should submit their cover letter and resume to mdoffice@honolulu.gov for consideration.
—PAU—
