City to open new facility geared toward helping homeless people with severe mental illness

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The city hopes to open a new facility next week dedicated to addressing mental health issues, according to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.

The mayor says the city’s CORE unit will be able to take mentally unstable people off the streets and bring them to the old First Hawaiian Bank building by A’ala Park.

It will have a full medical staff, including psychiatrists.

The city paid $8.4 million for the old bank building on North King Street.

The mayor says there will be 30 beds and outside in the parking lot, there will be 30 Kauhale units. “We’re talking about taking them in for treatment. There are a lot of people out there who are suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder who could be stabilized,” he said.

“That person that’s lying on the street, or as you said, screaming at the moon. We’ve all seen that. It can be terrifying.”

Mersadis Perez, who sleeps outside the old bank building, says she sees it daily. “They’ll be throwing things, or crying, or hugging the air … some of it is scary to watch,” Perez said.

The mayor says the city is hiring Dr. Scott Miscovitch, known for pandemic COVID testing, to run the operation. The city is partnering with the state and using federal subsidies to pay for staff.

“We are going to kick it into another gear. I’m not opposed to saying that if I’m driving around and see someone yelling at the moon, I should call CORE and tell them to pick them up.”

The city also plans to open 100 beds at the Iwilei Center, which it bought for $52 million. “I think it’s needed because there is a lot of homeless and mental illness in this area,” said a resident.

The most recent point-in-time survey counted about 4,500 homeless people on Oahu.

“That’s less than 1% of this population of the island, and you think about it, it’s how amazing how that number is in everyone’s face.”

Blangardi says he’s most concerned about the “chronically homeless” and believes the new shelters opening soon can help provide the mental help they need to stay off the streets.

People who are suffering from mental disease, addictions, tough to deal with, incorrigible if you will, the people who don’t like rules, that’s what we need to attack if you will.