Hawaii church deploying igloos to house homeless families

HONOLULU (AP) — A church in Hawaii looking to address the state's ongoing homelessness crisis has settled on a solution that on first look appears better suited for the frigid winters of Alaska than the islands' tropical climate: igloos.

There's no risk of the dome-shaped structures melting. They are made of fiberglass and their construction keeps the interior about 10-15 degrees cooler when the hot sun is blazing down, officials at First Assembly of God in Honolulu said.

Church officials plan to order a dozen homes, each of which can house four people, and erect them on the windward side of Oahu on land that the church had planned to use as a cabin retreat for its members.

"It is a crisis situation," said Klayton Ko, the church's senior pastor, noting that the igloos can be part of an interim solution until several years from now when new affordable housing becomes available.

The igloos are the latest idea in the islands as the state struggles to deal with the nation's highest per capita homelessness rate. Honolulu is using shipping containers to house some people, and others are pushing traditional thatched "hale" homes.

It's not the first time igloos or domes have been deployed before for the homeless. In Los Angeles, about 35 people lived in a cluster of them called "Dome Village" beginning in 1993, but the shelter closed in 2006 when the property owner raised the rent.

Ko said he was inspired when he read about the village online.