Houseless residents could begin legally sleeping in their vehicles in a Wailuku parking lot as soon as October.

Under a one-year pilot program by the county, those who live in their vehicles may have a safe haven overnight in the J. Walter Cameron Center parking lot, Mayor Michael Victorino announced during a news conference Thursday morning at the center.

Victorino signed Bill 108, passed by the Maui County Council on Aug. 23, making the program possible to help people who are homeless and trying to deal with the high costs of housing.

State law prohibits using a vehicle for human habitation between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. while parked on any roadway, street, highway or other public property. But state law has also left it open for each county to enact ordinances regulating the use of vehicles for human habitation, according to council documents. A county department will designate the area where this can occur, according to the bill.

In cooperation with council members, Victorino said, “we chose J. Water Cameron Center” to be the preferred pilot spot.

The bill specifies that county parking lots will be the sites where sleeping in cars will occur. The nonprofit Cameron Center has a lease from the county until 2044, said Victorino, who also thanked the council for its action.

“This site is located centrally and close to social service providers that can help those people who welcome their assistance,” Victorino said.

He noted that the parking lot is also between Maui Memorial Medical Center and the Wailuku Police Station.

“Our program participants can feel comfortable, healthy and safe and really be well-received,” he said at the news conference.

The lot where vehicles will park is on the west side of the center and the farthest away from Mahalani Street, which is at the Cameron Center’s entrance. With the bill’s passage, the pilot project is allocated up to $200,000 in the fiscal 2023 budget, according to a news release.

“On behalf of the board and staff of the Cameron Center, we are looking forward to this partnership with the county,” Executive Director Cesar Gaxiola said in the news release. “Our founder, J. Walter Cameron, was well-known throughout Maui for his compassion. I believe he would be pleased to offer a safe zone for the people who need a place to sleep.”

Victorino said he was not sure on how many vehicles would be allowed in, as it depends on the number of applications. At first, the program may set a limit of 25 to 30 vehicles, he said. Participants will need to register and cannot just show up at night.

Lori Tsuhako, director of the county’s Housing & Human Concerns Department, said the department “looks forward to working with our friends and partners at the Cameron Center in order to make this project work for the people it is intended to work for.”

She said the department and the county will be here to “support and work out those issues” that may arise.

They, along with Cameron Center, will do a very close evaluation of the program and its processes.

Maui County Communications Director Brian Perry said after the news conference that details about how to apply for the program will be forthcoming.

He added that the Cameron Center will provide portable toilets and that agencies will be on hand to offer help with housing if the participants want that type of help and information.

Maui County Council Member Kelly King, the author of the bill, said on Thursday afternoon that no one from the administration spoke to her about the preferred site.

She added that the budget specifies that the project will be done in consultation with the nonprofit Share Your Mana. King said the organization’s founder, Lisa Darcy, has worked, lived and spent much time with homeless people on the island, but that the nonprofit had not been consulted with.

“It’s very important to bring all parties together, when you are doing a project like this,” King said.

Perry said he did not know about the situation regarding the consultation with the nonprofit.

“On one hand I’m glad they are moving ahead, on the other hand things can go really awry when you are not consulting with the right people,” King later added.

In a news release Aug. 26 urging the mayor to sign the bill, King said, “This is only the first step to what the community identifies as a major issue. Constituents have been asking the county to consider a program like this for years, and I urge the mayor to sign the bill.”

King and other supporters of the bill have said that it would provide people with a safe place to lock their cars and sleep at night. They pointed out that some homeless individuals have jobs and even children who are attending school, but concerns over safety make it hard to get a good night’s sleep in their vehicles.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.