Hawaii is spending tens of millions on small village-style housing for homeless people, and early results look mixed but promising.

• The state has built 24 kauhale villages with 900 beds, serving 2,100 people so far.
• Four in ten residents have moved on to permanent housing, and the program is still growing.
• The Big Island gets its first village in Hilo, a 64-unit site expected to break ground soon.
• The main nonprofit builder, Homemade Hawaii, came under state audit scrutiny over disputed invoices and paid back close to $800,000, saying its books are sound.
• Recent storms damaged hundreds of homes, adding pressure to build faster and keep newly displaced people from ending up on the street.

Outlook: Expect more villages to open across the islands, with growing attention on how the money is spent and whether disasters outpace the building.