Point-In-Time Count Reveals Total of 444 Homeless People on Kaua‘i

An annual gauge of homelessness found there are more than 400 homeless people on the island.

Results from the 2022 Kaua‘i Point-In-Time Count revealed there are a total of 444 homeless individuals on Kaua‘i, including 404 unsheltered and 40 sheltered people, an increase of 20 from 2020. Only sheltered individuals were counted in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The results of the Point-In-Tim Count were announced Thursday, April 7, in a news release from the Kaua‘i County Housing Agency. The annual count is led by Bridging The Gap Continuum of Care.

The report can be viewed on Bridging The Gap’s website.

“Addressing homelessness continues to be a whole-community approach, and while there is still much more that needs to be done, we know that recent efforts such as the increase in rental units through our Waimea Huakai, Pua Loke Apartments and Kealaula affordable housing developments have made huge impacts,” said county Housing Director Adam Roversi in the news release. “Our emergency housing programs for rent, utility and homeowner assistance have also been critical to our residents, helping them avoid evictions while experiencing the hardships of the pandemic. Additionally, our county’s efforts to upgrade KEO’s wastewater system this year will help double its capacity at its emergency homeless shelter.”

The Point-In-Time Count is a real-time count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless people. According to the release, it is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in order for the county to access homeless-related funding. The count provides an estimate of how many people experienced homelessness in a community on a given night.

This year’s count was conducted Jan. 24-29 and was organized by Kaua‘i Community Alliance, which serves as Kaua‘i’s chapter of Bridging The Gap. Volunteers canvassed the island, asking people where they slept on Jan. 23 — the official night of focus for this year’s count.

For more information about the Kaua‘i County Housing Agency’s Homeless Support Program, click here or call 808-241-4427.