Court Briefs

• Publication year: 2022

COURT BRIEFS

A Place of Hope and Promise: Affordable Housing, Juvenile Services at Hale Kalele

Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald joined Governor David Ige, Senator Sharon Moriwaki, Honolulu City Councilmember Carol Fukunaga, representatives from the Kobayashi Group, and special guests on May 5 to celebrate the grand opening of Hale Kalele.

"When we broke ground here several years ago, the property had fallen into disrepair. Now, it is a place of hope and promise," said Chief Justice Recktenwald.

Built on the site of the former Alder Street Juvenile Detention Center, the new mixed-use facility serves two vital community needs. The first is to provide probation services and shelter for at-risk youth to keep them out of the justice system and assist them in becoming productive citizens. The second is the creation of 200 much-needed affordable rental housing units in the urban core, which serve families earning no more than 60 percent of the area median income.

The project is the result of a partnership between the Hawaii State Judiciary and the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to maximize public benefit from scarce government-owned land. On the Alder Street side of the facility is Hale Hilinai, which will be home to Youth Treatment Courts that provide intensive treatment and assistance and serve as a temporary, but stable home for youth who need shelter and support services. Additionally, the center will provide space for programs such as tutoring and counseling.

Kobayashi Group representatives BJ. Kobayashi, Patrick Kobayashi, Bert Kobayashi Sr., and Alana Kobayashi Pakkala assisted Governor Ige, First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige, Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, and Kahu Kordell Kekoa with untying the lei to open the building.

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