05-02-2025
Generator keeping kauhale running leaves seniors exhausted and sick
IWILEI, Hawaii (KHON2) — It's a dilemma pitting much-needed housing for the homeless against the quality of life for senior residents.A generator powering a new kauhale – a tiny home village meant to provide shelter and stability – has become an unbearable nuisance for the seniors living next door. They reached out to KHON2 for help, and we got answers.
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The kauhale is supposed to be a beacon of hope for some of the state's most vulnerable, but for the seniors living right next door, it's turned into a nightmare.
'It's not too bad today, it's not on,' said Kelly Plemons, a resident of Senior Residences at Iwilei. 'At night when it kicks on, it's loud. I can hear it on the other side of the building.'
Alana Ola Pono in Iwilei opened in December of last year. The $6 million project is the state's 17th kauhale. The massive generator, installed to power the 43 units, is supposed to be temporary. But for the elderly residents at the Senior Residences at Iwilei, it's an unwelcome neighbor.
'This is senior living. Not a bunch of young people over here. We're older, so fumes bother us a lot and then the noise effects their sleep,' Plemons said.
'I close the window 'cause I don't want to hear it. The constant [noise],' said Mollie Robinson-Miodovski, who lives on the third floor of the Senior Residences at Iwilei.
The state, aware of the issue, has taken steps to address it. Kimo Carvalho, HomeAid Hawaii Executive Director which is the contractor for the kauhale, said in a statement 'HomeAid built a wooden structure to cover and muffle the generator and also designed the structure's roof angles to direct any noise toward King Street, thereby further quieting the noise level.'
As for the fumes, they said the generator is not diesel.
The state's representative for the Governor's Homelessness team, Jun Yang, told KHON2 they are working with HECO on plans to connect the kauhale to the electrical grid. But the plans have taken longer than expected and there's no timeline on when the work will get done.
The area councilmember is calling for patience.
'I know that the Governor and his team care passionately about the homeless and dealing with it. And so, you know, I think this is one of those things where we're just going to have to get everybody to work together, and the sooner, the better,' said Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, Honolulu Councilmember for the Iwilei district.
For residents suffering now, sooner feels like an eternity.
'Move it,' Plemons said.
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