Gov. Linda Lingle named Kaulana Park, the state’s homeless solutions team leader, as deputy to the chair of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Since July 2006, Park has overseen and coordinated the state’s activities relating to homeless solutions working
Gov. Linda Lingle named Kaulana Park, the state’s homeless solutions team leader, as deputy to the chair of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
Since July 2006, Park has overseen and coordinated the state’s activities relating to homeless solutions working in collaboration with state agencies, the private sector, faith-based community, homeless advocates, nonprofit organizations, military, counties, the homeless and other groups.
Park has worked with Kaua‘i County to open Kaua‘i’s first shelter, the Mana‘olana emergency and transitional shelter, last November and the Ka Uapo shelter one week later. In addition, he coordinated with the other counties to share and coordinate homeless solutions best practices and strategies.
State-funded and state-supported homeless shelters have served more than 2,100 people and have helped nearly 900 transition into housing, including renting their own rooms or apartments, transitional housing and other housing arrangements.
As the leader of the state’s Homeless Efforts Achieving Results Together team, Park oversaw the development of two emergency transitional shelters on O‘ahu’s Leeward Coast. A third facility is scheduled to open this summer and accommodate approximately 200 people at a former military building at Kalaeloa.
“It’s been a privilege working with such high-caliber and passionate members of Team HEART,” Park said. “I now look forward to focusing my attention on helping native Hawaiians realize the dream of homeownership.”
Prior to being tapped to serve as homeless solutions coordinator, Park was executive assistant to the chairman of DHHL. He provided direct oversight on special projects ranging from program development to critical projects and issues relating to fulfilling the department’s mission to put Native Hawaiians on the land and into homes. His focus was primarily on operations efficiency, administration workflow and leadership development.
Park previously served as manager of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund.
He is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools, Stanford University and Pacific Century Fellows Class of 2003.
Park replaces Ben Henderson, who was recently named president and executive director for the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center. Russ Saito, state comptroller and director of the Department of Accounting and General Services, will assume the role of homeless solutions team leader.
