Hawai‘i Interagency Council on Homelessness (HICH)
The Hawai‘i Interagency Council on Homelessness (HICH) is an advisory body, modeled after the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, that serves as the State’s primary advisory body on homelessness. Housed within the Department of Human Services for administrative purposes, HICH provides statewide leadership on homelessness planning and policy development through broad representation from state, county, and community partners.
HICH is responsible for formulating and advising the Governor on the implementation of a unified ten-year statewide plan to prevent and end homelessness. Its duties include coordinating funding and resources, recommending policy and statutory changes, collecting and analyzing data, integrating social and housing services, and promoting public education on homelessness. The Council also reports annually to the Governor, Legislature, and county mayors on progress toward the goals of the ten-year plan.
The HICH is established in statute through section 346-381, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), is chaired by the Governor-Appointed Coordinator on Homelessness and is administratively supported by the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions.
The following is the current list of HICH members:
| The Governor’s Coordinator on Homelessness (Chair) | Mr. Jun Yang |
| Director of the Department of Human Services | Mr. Ryan Yamane |
| Administrator of the Homeless Programs Office | Mr. Harold Brackeen III |
| Director of the Department of Health | Mr. Kenneth Fink |
| Director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations | Mr. Jade Butay |
| Director of the Department of Law Enforcement | Mr. Mike Lambert |
| Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism | Mr. James Tokioka |
| Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission | Mr. Kali Watson |
| Adjutant General, Department of Defense | Mr. Stephen Logan |
| Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs | Mr. Kaiali’i Kahele |
| Attorney General | Ms. Anne Lopez |
| Superintendent of Education | Mr. Keith Hayashi |
| Hawaii State House of Representatives | Representative Darius Kila (Primary) Representative Jenna Takenouchi (Alternate) |
| Hawaii State Senate | Senator Joy San Buenaventura (Primary) Senator Stanley Chang (Alternate) |
| Executive Director of the Hawai’i Public Housing Authority | Mr. Hakim Ouansafi |
| City and County of Honolulu | Mayor Rick Blangiardi |
| County of Hawai’i | Mayor Kimo Alameda |
| County of Kaua’i | Mayor Derek Kawakami |
| County of Maui | Mayor Richard Bissen |
| Continuum of Care for the City and County of Honolulu | Ms. Laura E. Thielen |
| Continuum of Care for the County of Hawai’i | Ms. Brandee Menino |
| Continuum of Care for the County of Kaua’i | Ms. Makana Kamibayashi |
| Continuum of Care for the County of Maui | Ms. Maude Cumming |
| U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | Mr. Arthur Minor |
| U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development | Mr. Mark Chandler |
| Governor-Appointed Faith-based Representative | Pastor Amy Wake |
| Governor-Appointed Business Community Representative | Not yet appointed |