Our group left Tripler Army Medical Center, headed for the Next Step Homeless Shelter. This shelter is operated by Waikiki Health under a state contract. Individuals experiencing homelessness each have a cubicle and pay a monthly program fee of $60-90 a month. The goal is to move people into permanent housing within 90 days. Shelter manager, Richard Kaai, gave a presentation on challenges and successes of shelter management and gave a tour to our group. The shelter is an old warehouse with about 160 cubicles for people to sleep. He stated that for every bed, there is a wait list of 10 people waiting to get into the shelter. I spoke with one of the women staying at the shelter, who said it is a nice, safe place to stay, away from the dangers of living on the street.
