Honolulu Civil Beat · Wailuku, HI
Fraud Or Incompetence? Lawmakers Probe Homeless Housing Program
The charges had no apparent connection to homelessness: office space, laptops, food and drink — including beer. An oceanview condo in Wailuku. A parking ticket. Steel-toed boots. Jeans from Nordstrom Rack. But HomeAid, the state’s homeless contractor, billed Hawaiʻi taxpayers. And the state paid. State lawmakers got an earful at a briefing on Thursday and were left deeply dissatisfied with the answers provided by some of the key architects of the state kauhale program, Gov. Josh Green’s signature effort to address homelessness. “Is it fraud, or is it incompetence?” House Rep. Ikaika Olds asked the state leaders of the program, Joe Campos and Jun Yang. They didn’t answer. The state senate briefing Thursday was the first opportunity lawmakers have had to pose direct questions after a scathing audit of the state’s management of the initiative identified more than $13 million in questionable or unauthorized payments through no-bid contracts with its sole provider, HomeAid Hawaiʻi.