GOVERNOR LINGLE APPOINTS KAULANA PARK AS HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS DEPUTY
For Immediate Release: February 15, 2008
HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle has named Kaulana Park, the state’s homeless solutions team leader, as deputy to the chair of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL).
“Kaulana has worked tirelessly to help provide our homeless, especially families who were living on beaches and in parks, with safe shelter as well as the resources and services they need to turn their lives around and to find housing,” said Governor Lingle. “Kaulana put his heart and soul into this effort, bringing together all levels of government, businesses, non-profits and most importantly the homeless residents themselves, to find innovative solutions to the homeless crisis. I am confident that in his new role, Kaulana will continue to focus on improving people’s lives and lifting the entire community by fulfilling our commitment to native Hawaiians and in doing so, addressing the affordable housing shortage in our state.”
Since July 2006, Park has been instrumental in overseeing and coordinating the state’s activities relating to homeless solutions. Under his leadership, working in collaboration with state agencies, the private sector, faith-based community, homeless advocates, non-profit organizations, military, counties, the homeless and other groups, significant progress has been made in addressing the homeless crisis statewide. Through this coordinated effort, state-funded and state-supported homeless shelters have served more than 2,100 people, and have helped nearly 900 transition into housing, including renting their own rooms or apartments, transitional housing, and other housing arrangements.
As the leader of the state’s Homeless Efforts Achieving Results Together (HEART) team, Park oversaw the development of two emergency transitional shelters on O‘ahu’s Leeward Coast – the Onelau‘ena shelter in Kalaeloa opened in October 2006 and the Pai‘olu Kaiāulu facility in Wai‘anae opened in March 2007.
Park has also been spearheading the effort to open a third facility this summer that will accommodate approximately 200 people at a former military building at Kalaeloa. He also helped coordinate transitional housing facilities that are currently underway in West O‘ahu, including Villages of Ma‘ili which will house 400 people and Kahikolu 'Ohana Hale O Wai'anae, a transitional and affordable-rental-unit project, scheduled to open in June.
He also worked with Kaua‘i County to open Kaua‘i’s first shelter, the Mana‘olana emergency and transitional shelter last November and the Ka Uapo shelter one week later. In addition, he coordinated with the other counties to share and coordinate homeless solutions best practices and strategies.
“It’s been a privilege working with such high-caliber and passionate members of Team HEART,” said Park. “They will remain committed to completing our two remaining projects on the Leeward Coast and work with the many sectors to provide our residents a pathway back to self sufficiency. I am honored to have been a part of the Lingle-Aiona Administration team that took immediate action on reducing the large-scale homeless crisis. I now look forward to focusing my attention on helping native Hawaiians realize the dream of homeownership.”
Prior to being tapped by Governor Lingle to serve as homeless solutions coordinator, Park was executive assistant to the chairman of DHHL. As a lead strategist for DHHL he provided direct oversight on special projects ranging from program development to critical projects and issues relating to fulfilling the department’s mission to put Native Hawaiians on the land and into homes. His focus was primarily on operations efficiency, administration workflow, and leadership development.
Park previously served as manager of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund, which included planning and developing to encourage small business development. He has also been a manager with Bank of America, assistant branch manager with First Hawaiian Bank, and business banking officer for Wells Fargo Bank.
Park currently serves on the boards of the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority, Lokahi Pacific Rural Development, Inc. and Hope Chapel-Olomana Christian Fellowship. He is the past president of the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, former board member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission of Hawai‘i, and former 2nd vice chairman of the Hotel Travel Federal Credit Union.
He is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools, Stanford University (bachelor’s of science degree in engineering), and Pacific Century Fellows Class of 2003.
Park replaces Ben Henderson who was recently named president and executive director for the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center. Russ Saito, state comptroller and director of the Department of Accounting and General Services, will assume the role of homeless solutions team leader.
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For further information contact:
Micah Kane
Chair, Dept. of Hawaiian Home Lands
Phone: (808) 586-3801
Lenny Klompus
Senior Advisor-Communications
Phone: (808) 586-7708
Russell Pang
Chief of Media Relations
Phone: (808) 586-0043
