Hawaii County plans emergency cot shelter program for West Hawaii

Hawaii County is moving to put nightly emergency cots on the Kona side of the island, adding a low-barrier overnight option for people sleeping outside while West Hawaii continues to wait for bigger shelter and housing projects to come online.

The County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development released the request for proposals on May 1, asking a qualified provider to run the program for individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness. The operation is meant to run nightly and include supervised cot sleeping, meals, hygiene access, secure storage for personal belongings, and connections to housing navigation, outreach and other supportive services. The selected provider will have to secure an appropriate site and meet all applicable laws and regulations while keeping the program safe, respectful and low-barrier.

The county is paying for the expansion through its Homelessness and Housing Fund, created in 2022 and backed by no less than $9 million a year in Residential Tier Two property tax revenues. County officials say the fund is set to expire in 2027. In December 2025, the county said remaining HHF dollars would support new requests for proposals for Safe Overnight Sleeping Programs in East and West Hawaii, Emergency Shelters in East and West Hawaii, and a Permanent Housing with Supports Program in West Hawaii.

Officials are pointing to the East Hawaii cot sleeping program as the clearest proof of concept. The county’s award notice shows The Salvation Army, A California Corp., received the East Hawaii contract on March 25, 2026, for $1,502,948.49. County figures say that program delivered 19,650 shelter bed nights from August 30, 2024, through March 31, 2026, a number the administration is using to justify bringing the model to West Hawaii.

The West Hawaii proposal is now moving through procurement, with questions due by May 15 and final proposals due by 4 p.m. on June 2. The cot program is also being framed as a bridge to the larger Kukuiola project in Kealakehe, where the Emergency Shelter and Assessment Center is expected to open in spring 2027 off Kealakehe Parkway, south of the West Hawaii Civic Center. The first phase there is planned to include 16 emergency shelter units, a manager’s unit, a 2,000-square-foot assessment center, restrooms and showers, a 1,400-square-foot community center, shared kitchen space, case-management offices and overnight parking for people sleeping in vehicles.

Mass grading of the Kukuiola site and the access road, Alapono Place, was completed in late 2024. Phase 2 is planned to add 50 permanent housing units with support services, and Phase 3 is envisioned as multi-family housing. For West Hawaii, the county is trying to add something immediate while the larger system is still under construction.