Shelter to be first for homeless couples
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
KALAELOA — This gift won't be opened until the week after Christmas, but its value won't be diminished.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
With many families struggling with the economic fallout of Sept. 11, the state yesterday dedicated a refurbished former Navy barracks as a new homeless shelter, with 41 one- and two-bedroom residential units. The three-story facility Onemalu — "sands of peace" in Hawaiian — will provide transitional housing for qualified applicants starting Jan. 2.
Gov. Ben Cayetano visited Onemalu, the new homeless shelter on former Navy grounds at Kalaeloa, with Sharyn Miyashiro, executive director of the state's Housing and Community Development Corp., which is running the facility.
"Homelessness is not limited to joblessness or the poor," said Michael Kahikina, House Human Services and Housing Committee chairman. "Many homeless are full-time wage earners who are not able to afford one- or two-bedroom apartments."
The refurbished facility is part of the July 1999 closure of Barbers Point Naval Air Station, which transferred four buildings on 13 acres to the state Housing and Community Development Corp. for homeless shelters and to provide related health and job placement services.
The $1.5 million state project included upgrades to the building's electrical and central air conditioning systems, a complete repainting inside and out, fire code compliance and other minor repairs.
Once used as guest housing for military families, all of the renovated units have a complete bathroom, separate sink for washing dishes, microwave and refrigerator. Several units on the first floor are handicapped-accessible.
The building has a laundry room on each floor, with the possibility of a cafeteria-type service in the future with a community kitchen for families who want to cook their own meals. Three other units have been set aside, one for a full-time resident manager and two for case management services for residents.
The shelter will be the only one on O'ahu serving the needs of homeless couples, with or without children. All others are designed for singles or families with children.
Another Kalaeloa shelter for singles, former Building 39, is expected to be completed by summer. Building 50, nearby, is being used by the Hawai'i National Guard's Youth Challenge program.
Onemalu facility director Rosanna Daniels-Kanetake said 50 to 60 families already had applied. Residents will be selected Dec. 26 and 27. Applications are available by calling 259-6658.
Rent is free, but there are charges for health/substance abuse programs and job training and placement, which can reach $600 a month.
"While we don't have precise figures, we know there is a larger number of homeless out there since 9-11," said Sandra Miyoshi, a state homeless program administrator. "This project will definitely help."
Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.
