Off the News: New shelter gives homeless help; Aloha to Plaza Club’s room with view

New shelter gives homeless help, hope

With lockable studio apartments, the new Keauhou shelter offers dignified 90-day housing to homeless people focused on prepping for a shot at permanent housing. At the site in Moiliili, “housing navigators” assist tenants with everything from securing government-issued IDs to pursuing employment possibilities.

By allotting a bit of privacy and safekeeping for possessions, Keauhou is a step up from Kakaako’s cavernous Next Step Shelter, in which homeless people lodge in open cubicles. Both state emergency shelters are operated by Waikiki Health, a nonprofit with a special emphasis on serving at-risk, hard-to-reach populations.

Aloha to Plaza Club’s room with view

Honolulu soon will be mourning the impending closure, in April, of the Plaza Club, on the 20th and 21st floors of the Pioneer Plaza. For those lucky enough to have an occasion to go, it afforded a nice public vista of downtown, a pleasant backdrop to meetings, weddings or anything else.

The tower occupies the site of the Union Hotel; until Prohibition, its Union Saloon served elite business patrons. Today’s execs can hope another venue takes the opportunity to fill the club’s niche.