Gov. Linda Lingle released yesterday $73,000 to help finance the design and construction of a certified kitchen at the Mana‘olana emergency homeless shelter on Kaua‘i. Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity Inc., which leases the site from Kaua‘i County and operates the facility,
Gov. Linda Lingle released yesterday $73,000 to help finance the design and construction of a certified kitchen at the Mana‘olana emergency homeless shelter on Kaua‘i.
Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity Inc., which leases the site from Kaua‘i County and operates the facility, will use the state capital improvement grant to renovate space for a new certified kitchen to provide meals to people staying at the shelter.
The new kitchen will also provide opportunities to train individuals in food preparation. A portion of the grant will fund the installation of a grease trap and the purchase of kitchen equipment.
In addition to the state funds, KEO has secured a Community Development Block Grant as well as a private grant from the Hawai‘i Hotel Association for the purchase of a commercial refrigerator.
“In addition to providing a safe place to stay, meals and supportive social services, Mana‘olana and the Ka Uapo transitional housing facility offer hope for Kaua‘i families who are trying to turn their lives around and move toward more permanent housing,” Lingle said.
In 2004, Lingle signed an executive order transferring a two-acre parcel in Lihu‘e to Kaua‘i County to build Kaua‘i’s first homeless emergency shelter and transitional housing facility. The state also provided approximately $690,000 in funding.
KEO has also partnered with the state and county to operate the Ka Uapo temporary transitional housing facility at the old courthouse building on Umi Street in Lihu‘e. The facility, which opened late last year, serves unsheltered working families with children and prepares them for permanent affordable housing units being built on Kaua‘i.
