Off the news: Aala Respite has 30 beds, 30 kauhale units

For many homeless people with severe medical problems, it’s a cycle of the streets, ambulance aid, hospital emergency room, then back on the streets — “round and round,” as city Emergency Serv­ices Director Jim Ireland says.

So the new Aala Respite at North King Street near Iwilei is clearly needed — providing 30 medical treatment beds and 30 kauhale units, or transitional tiny homes. Let’s hope this respite hub, costing $4 million annually, will help many homeless people off the streets over the next several years, as the city plans and designs affordable housing slated on and around the site.