KAILUA, KONA, Hawai'i — Hawai'i County plans to expand services provided by The Friendly Place in North Kona to include a 31-bed dormitory for homeless people.

The $1.8 million West Hawai'i Emergency Housing Facility would see construction of a dormitory with separate wings for single men and women on 2 acres of county property on Pawai Place in Kailua's Old Industrial Area. The project includes lockers, bathrooms, laundry facilities, a kitchen, common area, resident manager's office, fencing and security systems.

The site, a former wastewater treatment base yard, already is home to The Friendly Place, a one-stop, drop-in center offering services to the homeless such as showers, laundry facilities and counseling. The center is operated by the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu's Office for Social Ministry.

The West Hawai'i Emergency Housing Facility would not be a drop-in shelter; clients would be referred by social service agencies and screened, according to a draft environmental assessment for the project. They must be employed or actively seeking work, and will be subject to drug testing.

The county would build the facility and then lease it to a service provider. The Friendly Place would be temporarily displaced during construction, the draft report said.

The county hopes to have the emergency housing facility open by the end of the year.

The draft environmental assessment noted that some area businesses had concerns about programs for the homeless leading to increased vandalism, burglary, arson, trash and other problems.

However, an advisory committee formed in 2006 to provide an ongoing forum to address issues involving The Friendly Place said it appears that support for the drop-in program and emergency housing facility outweighs any opposition.

The committee said that with proper management, the new facility should be able to successfully coexist with area businesses.

The public has 30 days to comment on the proposed project. Comments should be sent to the Hawai'i County Office of Housing and Community Development, 50 Wailuku Drive, Hilo HI 96720; consultant Geometrician Associates, P.O. Box 396, Hilo HI 96721; and the state Office of Environmental Quality Control, 235 S. Beretania St., Suite 702, Honolulu, HI 96813.