Point in Time count shares new numbers on neighbor island homeless

Interesting admin May 14, 2026 0 Comments

Point in Time count shares new numbers on neighbor island homeless

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Point in Time (PIT) count, conducted in January, shows a 2% overall reduction across Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island.

The federally mandated annual census is designed to identify every individual sleeping on streets, vehicles or other areas not meant for human habitation.

The 2026 report includes comparative data from 2018 through 2026 and is a one-night snapshot rather than a total census of all who experienced homelessness.

Bridging The Gap, a coalition of agencies working to end homelessness on the neighbor islands, said teams expanded their search to include extreme terrain and difficult-to-access locations.

Volunteers tallied 61 fewer people in shelters from 2024 to 2026, but there were nearly 30 more people living on the streets.

Teams also counted 125 family households experiencing homelessness, eight fewer than two years ago.

Overall, 2026 PIT data shows:

Hawaii Island had the most homeless individuals at 696.

Kauai had the lowest at 516.

Maui fell in the middle at 651.

“While we are encouraged by a 10% reduction in sheltered homelessness, the slight rise in those living unsheltered — from 1,276 to 1,305 people — reminds us that our work is far from finished,“ said Brandee Menino, Bridging the Gap chair. ”It’s a clear signal that we must continue to move beyond temporary fixes and invest heavily in permanent, supportive housing that people can realistically afford.”

View the full report online here.