Agencies partner to help Waimanalo Hawaiians
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
WAIMANALO — Call it a place of refuge.
For several years, four agencies have been laying the groundwork for a partnership that is expected to reach deeper into this Windward community with the ultimate goal of reaching every Hawaiian with a broad spectrum of social services ranging from preschool education for keiki to low-income housing for kupuna.
Hundreds of Hawaiians stand to benefit from the collaboration — the first of its kind on O'ahu — among the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center, Waimanalo Hawaiian Homes Association, Kamehameha Preschool-Waimanalo and Kulanakauhale Maluhia o Na Kupuna, which have moved to the same block on Hawaiian Home Lands.
The agencies have been providing services, but now, with everything in place, they hope to begin leveraging their resources.
The arrangement is ideal because the members all serve the same Hawaiian population, said Susan Wada, manager for the Lili'uokalani center's Ko'olaupoko Unit in Kane'ohe. That allows the agencies to share resources and cross-refer clients and gives Hawaiians a comprehensive one-stop shop within their community.
With more than 600 homesteads nearby, the agencies and organizations can reach a maximum number of potential clients who live within walking distance. Services include counseling, education, social services and support groups.
"We're real clear that we all have different missions, but the common good is all we want: a healthy Hawaiian community that is well connected, that is well integrated," Wada said.
A child at the Kamehameha preschool who recently lost a parent can go next door to receive counseling from Lili'uokalani Center. The child's grandparent, who might live in kupuna housing, could get services at the center or at the Hawaiian Homes Association, where a meals-on-wheels service is offered and various education classes are sponsored. And the kupuna might join in classroom activities at the preschool, telling stories about the community, reading and sharing their expertise.
The partnership was the vision of the late Monsignor Charles Kekumano, the first Catholic priest of Hawaiian ancestry and former chancellor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu. Kekumano wanted to make Lili'uokalani Centers accessible to all Hawaiians, Wada said.
Kekumano first proposed the partnership for Moloka'i, but he did not live to see the 1999 opening of the Moloka'i complex or witness its successes, Wada said. Kulana 'Oiwi on Moloka'i houses the Lili'uokalani Center, Alu Like, healthcare provider Na Pu'uwai, Kamehameha Preschool, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
Knowing that partnering with others such as these entities produced more and better services for clients, Lili'uokalani Trust decided to expand Kekumano's dream and supported the Waimanalo complex, Wada said.
The Lili'uokalani centers have progressed from traditional social work to community building, she said. "Under our traditional method we would serve 200 to 300 a year at the Kane'ohe unit," Wada said. "Now we reach over 1,000-plus each year."
Not only do the agencies of the new partnership provide services but they expect to refer their clients to the other agencies and organizations in the community, said Tony Sang, vice president of the Waimanalo Hawaiian Homes Association, whose members include residents of Kulanakauhale Maluhia o Na Kupuna, the new kupuna apartments .
For instance, the Lili'uokalani Center recently offered help to find shelter for homeless families who were living on the beach. The families had moved temporarily to the association's facility when the city closed the campground at Waimanalo Beach Park for renovation.
The association's mission is to serve as an advocate for Hawaiian rights and improve the community, Sang said.
It recently built a restroom facility and erected a temporary tent for social functions on property it acquired from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, next to Lili'uokalani Center.
The association has plans to build a permanent structure with a kitchen and room for classes, programs and meetings.
Mahealani McClellan called the partnership's possibilities limitless.
"I know we'll have lots of opportunities to help each other and to really help the community," said McClellan, who is regional manager for Kamehameha Schools' Early Childhood Education sites in Ko'olau Poko and Moloka'i.
The Waimanalo preschool accepts three- and four-year-olds from Waimanalo and Kailua, giving preference to children of Hawaiian ancestry. It has 72 students and a long waiting list. Parents must apply one year in advance. In addition to mainstream academics, the school emphasizes Hawaiian language, art and culture.
Because the population base on Moloka'i is smaller, the number of people served by the Native Hawaiian partnership there has not increased significantly. The program's success comes from its convenience and the collaboration of agencies, said Ted Takamiya, a Moloka'i social worker with Lili'uokalani.
For instance, Takamiya worked with Wayde Lee of Alu Like to start drug abuse support groups. They are now trying to develop a drug rehabilitation center.
Takamiya said the complex is symbolic of pu'uhonua, a place of refuge. "It's a safe place where families with problems, concerns or issues can unburden themselves," he said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
