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Council member Tyler Dos Santos-Tam did not know that the city had forced the Sand Island Treatment Center into his district in Iwilei, but toured it on Monday to try to figure out how to ease its $36,000 in new monthly costs.
He was joined by former Council Chair Ernie Martin, a Sand Island Treatment Center ally, who called the program’s new $20,000 monthly city lease and $16,000 in monthly utility and photovoltaic costs
“unreasonable and
unconscionable. To me it’s embarrassing.”
Sand Island has a waiting list to get into any of its 123 residential beds where it treats clients who are often chronically homeless criminals with mental health and substance abuse issues —
a homeless population of particular concern among residents, businesses, the tourism industry and government officials.
Santos-Tam called the program “impressive” after touring it Monday following a briefing by Sand Island Treatment Center leaders.
“There are definitely challenges,” he said. “But we have to look at all the people they’re serving.”
The city is going through its budget process, and now is the time to “ask why we’re charging such a high rent” and why the city did not purchase a privately owned photovoltaic system that costs Sand Island $8,000 a month, in addition to $8,000 in monthly energy costs, he said.
“Now that we have the information, let’s do it right,” Santos-Tam said.
If Sand Island doesn’t get financial relief, he said, “all these people are going to be on the street and relapse without support.”
In November 2021 the city forced the program from its original location on Sand Island in order to expand its wastewater treatment plan to address federal clean-
water violations.
The move to a city building behind the Institute for Human Services’ shelter
for women and children was hasty, required over $100,000 in renovations
and was delayed when the building was pressed into emergency service as a place to treat homeless
patients with COVID-19.
Martin called Sand Island’s new monthly costs “totally unreasonable.”
“There’s an opportunity for us to right the wrong,” he said.
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