Big Isle mayor declares state of emergency to help homeless
KAILUA-KONA >> The Hawaii island mayor has declared a state of emergency to find a space to relocate homeless people pushed out of a local park.
Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim hopes to create a permanent relocation site for the homeless asked to leave Old Airport Park on Wednesday by repurposing a portion of state-owned land associated with Kamakana Villages affordable housing developments, West Hawaii Today reported.
Kim said he learned last week that the state does not plan to further develop the plot. He declared the state of emergency to capitalize on the opportunity, Kim said.
Under the state of emergency, Kim can bypass certain processes and move along faster. He noted that the county already received verbal approval to use the land from Gov. David Ige.
Read more: http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/08/04/breaking-news/big-isle-mayor-declares-state-of-emergency-to-help-homeless/