Just days after ground zero of the Kakaako homeless encampment had been cleared, Gov. David Ige touted an emergency proclamation targeting homelessness that clears the way for a rapid buildout of a temporary homeless shelter in Honolulu.

While the move seems almost anticlimactic following the weeks of massive cleanup in Kakaako, Ige’s proclamation enables the state to quickly funnel money toward:

» Construction of a temporary homeless shelter for families.

» Extension of existing contracts for homeless services.

» An increase in funding for programs that promote expeditious housing.

“The emergency proclamation allows the state to immediately add $1.3 million to existing contracts to transition families into permanent housing,” Ige told the Star-Advertiser in an email. “It also expands the state’s Housing First program to the Neighbor Islands.”

The proclamation, signed last Friday, is effective for 60 days.

It’s critical that Ige’s administration moves swiftly in setting up a temporary shelter and increasing services, as many Kakaako homeless simply dispersed to nearby areas. Ironically, about 130 individuals are camped out on state land running from Kewalo Basin Park, Point Panic and Kakaako Waterfront Park near the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, according to a census of three homeless encampments conducted by Waikiki Health and Kalihi-Palama Health Center.

Declaring an emergency to target homelessness is not unprecedented — Gov. Linda Lingle issued an emergency proclamation that led to building the Next Step shelter in Kakaako and temporary housing facilities on the Waianae Coast. When Ige’s planned temporary shelter will be built and ready to take in homeless people is still uncertain.

What is clear is that the proclamation allows the state to eliminate the usual red tape associated with government construction projects. The proclamation lists 25 chapters and sections of the Hawaii Revised Statutes that could be bypassed — everything from the procurement code to environmental impact statements.

The shelter location will be announced within the next few weeks, said Scott Morishige, Hawaii’s homeless coordinator. The state is considering four possible sites, including two locations in Kakaako as well as the Liliha Civic Center and on Nimitz Highway at Pier 38.

There is no time to dawdle in choosing the shelter site. Morishige said the state is vetting the sites for one that will benefit entire families, meaning it should be close enough to schools, transportation, employment and support services.

Morishige said the “emergency” is in the sheer number of unsheltered individuals and families — 7,620 individuals statewide. Emergency funding will target homelessness on Oahu and on the neighbor islands, where the problem is more prevalent in rural areas, Morishige said.

The $1.3 million will be funneled to three programs: Housing First, which provides housing assistance and support services for the chronically homeless; Housing Placement Program, which helps with the first month’s rent or security deposit for homeless families with minor children; and State Homeless Emergency Grant, which offers monetary assistance to homeless or at-risk homeless individuals and families for housing, food, medical and other types of expenses arising from emergency needs.

Ige and Morishige also announced several initiatives in the works, and it’s that kind of multipronged approach that has reduced homelessness in other jurisdictions to manageable levels. In addition to Kakaako, the Governor’s Leadership Team on Homelessness also will focus efforts on homeless populations in Waianae, Waipahu and Waimanalo.

One promising move in particular is the partnership formed with the Hawaii Association of Realtors that Ige hopes will result in more private landlords renting fair-market-value apartments to homeless people under Housing First. A summit is expected to take place by the end of the year to encourage landlords to accept homeless tenants with housing vouchers.

Landlords will need assurances that they have a safety net if they rent to homeless individuals who might have drug or alcohol addictions or mental-health problems. That’s what the summit is expected to address. Other cities, including Salt Lake City, have figured out that it’s more effective to house homeless people before addressing their addictions and other issues while providing landlords 24-hour access to support staff.

The Ige administration appears open to learning from what has worked in other embattled cities, which is encouraging. Homelessness, especially on Oahu, has been considered an emergency situation long before now. It’s about time the Ige administration addresses it as such.