The Salvation Army has opened a long-awaited overnight homeless shelter in Hilo, with plans to expand it in the future.
The Hilo Overnight Safe Space is a 25-bed outdoor tent at the Salvation Army's facility downtown on Ponahawai Street. Homeless people seeking shelter will be able to check into the Safe Space in the evening and depart the next day.
Through $1 million in state funding and an additional $800,000 from Hawaii County, the facility should be able to operate for two years, said Sam LeMar, Salvation Army Hawaii County coordinator. But he added that he hopes to be able to expand the shelter into something potentially more permanent.
LeMar said he believes the shelter could expand to accommodate 75 beds along with 10 parking stalls "so people can sleep in their cars safely."
He added that the gravel lot could be partially paved over to improve drainage and that a mobile laundry trailer could be brought to the shelter so occupants can wash their clothes.
While those expansions are only hopeful possibilities, the shelter will receive portable toilet facilities this month, and additional kennel spaces could be added to the two already present, depending on need.
Salvation Army representatives celebrated the opening of the shelter Friday with Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth and other state and county officials.
Roth emphasized the need for more homeless services in the county, saying the Safe Space is only one of many projects in development.
Roth highlighted the state's plan to build at least two kauhale -- communal living spaces with several small individual units -- on Hawaii island, one on the east side and the other on the west.
"I was talking with (Gov. Josh Green) just today and told him he's got to push for the kauhale on our island," Roth said.
John Mizuno, state coordinator on homelessness and housing solutions, said the state is still considering sites for the kauhale, but added that two of the locations being evaluated are a parking lot by the Hilo Lagoon Center and the parking lot by Ben Franklin Crafts.
"We want to get one in Hilo, and we need a spot that's aligned with our vision," Mizuno said. "We know there's no perfect spot that everyone's going to be happy with."
Roth also mentioned the ongoing project to renovate the old Hilo Memorial Hospital to expand its use for temporary housing and rehabilitation programs.
County Housing Director Susan Kunz said that project is going through the county's procurement process.
In addition to the Safe Space, Friday's opening ceremony also inaugurated the Salvation Army's Malama 'Ohana Kitchen Trailer, a commercial-certified kitchen within a 37-foot-long trailer.
LeMar said the trailer will be used to produce meals for the Safe Space and can be transported to other locations where it might be needed. He said the trailer was funded by an anonymous donor and can produce more than 2,500 meals a day.