John Mizuno is leaving his position as director of the Statewide Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions to work as a special advisor on homelessness, Gov. Josh Green announced Tuesday evening on social media.

“I want to extend my heartfelt mahalo to John Mizuno for his dedication to reducing homelessness statewide, helping to bring nearly 20 kauhale online within just 15 months with the support of our team,” Green posted. “Now, he will take on the critical responsibility of reuniting homeless individuals with their families across the country in his new role under the Hawaii Department of Transportation.”

Green said he has appointed HDOT homeless coordinator Jun Yang to replace Mizuno. Yang previously served as the executive director of the Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Housing.

Mizuno, who served in the state House of Representatives from 2006 until his appointment to lead SOHHS in 2024, said he was “extremely excited” about his new role, which he said will allow him to work directly with homeless families and individuals.

“I look forward to this next chapter,” he said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Under Mizuno, the state’s Return to Home program helped to return some 137 homeless individuals with family back on the mainland.

Mizuno’s departure comes three days after he posted a cryptic “public notice” on his Facebook account that read, “I wanted to share that I mistakenly placed vacation leave for my work. I have emailed/submitted a “late submission” (last week) to correct my vacation leave incorrect leave time. Fyi Star Advertiser.”

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.