“Las Vegas Resorts World confirmed that these intimacy kits included condoms, lubricant, vibrators, restraints, an eye mask, and a feather tickler.” — Hawaii State Audit pg 32
Audit of the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions’ Administration of the Kauhale Initiative
from Hawaii State Auditor, Report 26-11, Oct 7, 2026
Governor Josh Green launched the kauhale initiative to rapidly expand deeply affordable housing for people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.
In Report No. 26-11, Audit of the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions’ Administration of the Kauhale Initiative, we found that the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions (SOHHS) was not prepared to administer the initiative and did not provide the oversight necessary to protect public funds.
SOHHS also used cost-reimbursement contracts that shifted significant financial risk from HomeAid Hawaiʻi to the State without documenting why the State, rather than the contractor, needed to bear that risk.
SOHHS treated contracts and related documentation as after-the-fact paperwork rather than essential controls and approved every HomeAid payment request we reviewed without adequately determining whether the costs were reimbursable, resulting in more than $13.7 million in unauthorized, unsupported, or questionable payments.
LINK: Full Report or Summary or Podcast
Oct 4, 2026: Next Scandal: Kauhale program paid for director’s sex toys
May 12, 2026: Gay Divorce Exposes Hidden Insider Payoffs by State Homeless Housing Contractor
Star-Adv: State audit: $13.7M in ‘unauthorized,’ ‘questionable’ spending for kauhale | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
CB: State Errors Led To $13M+ In Improper Homeless Spending, Audit Says - Honolulu Civil Beat
KITV: State audit questions more than $13.7 million in spending on Hawaiʻi's kauhale housing initiative | News | kitv.com
KHON: Kauhale villages struggled with unauthorized payments and poor planning
SA: Audit slams ‘questionable’ spending for Hawaii’s pricey kauhale initiative | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
ASD: State audit finds Kauhale Initiative made $13.7 million in unauthorized payments
SA: Construction of kauhale homeless communities over the years | Honolulu Star-Advertiser