Director of Human Concerns appointment (Margaret Willis) and county homelessness response
Maui County
Summary
After a deep cultural discussion with Native Hawaiian CPAC members, the committee agreed to build at least one pu'uhonua or culturally infused safe low-barrier shelter — and tripled the cost estimate to $30,000 per unit. The term was kept deliberately broad to avoid repeating the divisiveness around Pu'uhonua o Nēnē.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 2
- Last 30 days
- 0
Discussed at 1 meeting in the last 60 days; most recently Sep 22, 2026.
Impact analysis
Cost estimate tripled from $10,000 to $30,000 per unit, funded by county and state sources.
People experiencing homelessness in South Maui who need a safe, sanitary, culturally grounded place to stabilize.
Critics say the existing system criminalizes and harms unhoused people, particularly Native Hawaiians, and that harm is ongoing until real change happens.
Mentions & discussions (2)
Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee (2025-2027) — September 22, 2026
After a deep cultural discussion with Native Hawaiian CPAC members, the committee agreed to build at least one pu'uhonua or culturally infused safe low-barrier shelter — and tripled the cost estimate to $30,000 per unit. The term was kept deliberately broad to avoid repeating the divisiveness around Pu'uhonua o Nēnē.
Government Relations, Ethics, and Transparency Committee (2025-2027) — March 10, 2026
The Mayor hired a nationally experienced homelessness expert from LA County, waiving the local-residency rule. Advocates backed her but warned the county's homeless service system has failed unhoused people, with arrests, conflicted contracts, and broken coordination. She promised a strategic plan, better accountability of outreach contracts, and a housing-first-plus-options approach.
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