By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

A program that turned an empty barracks at the decommissioned Barbers Point Naval Air Station into a shelter for homeless veterans deserves a medal. This has to be one of the most sensible and heartwarming efforts in Our Honolulu.

It went into gear nine months ago, according to John Devereaux, director of the U.S. Vets Initiative in Hawai'i. Since then, the project has sprouted volunteers like mushrooms.

Steve Nolan, chaplain major at the Fort DeRussy Protestant Chapel, said a worker at the barracks asked for help from military units. Nolan said he went to Barbers Point and talked to a veteran making a new start after sleeping under a tree near the Hale Koa Hotel.

Inspired by the plea for help, the congregation went on a scavenger hunt to furnish the 12-by-17-foot rooms of the barracks, which used to house military police.

Nolan and his wife, Christy, cleaned out closets and filled a van.

"A family leaving for the Mainland gave us 1 1/2 van-loads, including bicycles," Nolan said. "The veterans use them to ride to the bus stop."

Judy Anders, wife of a retired Marine first sergeant, is another scavenger.

"I didn't know there are more than 3,000 homeless veterans in Hawai'i," she said. "We started with a contribution box at the chapel. Members donated cups, spoons, plates, a vacuum cleaner, bedding. A man in the carpet business is contributing used carpets that people turn in because they don't like the color."

With 54 homeless vets, including three women, living in the barracks, the need for household items of all kinds continues to grow. Devereaux said he plans to house 350 veterans by the end of the year.

Homeless applicants are screened at Tripler Army Medical Center. They have to be drug- and alcohol-free to qualify.

One objective is to help them find jobs. Several of the veterans in the barracks have jobs nearby.

Devereaux, a Ph.D. in neuropsychology who prefers working with the homeless, said similar U.S. Vets programs in other parts of the country are using abandoned military installations.

Chaplain Nolan said he isn't looking for donations of junk items that you wouldn't use yourself. That's insulting to the homeless. "If we give them nice things, it calls out the best in them," he said.

Anders said she fills a van with donated items once a week and drives it to the chapel. She said monetary contributions will help pay for bus passes. There's a need for toothbrushes and toothpaste, cosmetics, pots and pans, electric fans, shoes and clothing. People have donated exercise machines and cowboy boots.

Other items useful to furnishing the rooms are dressers, sofas, chairs, tables and wall decorations.

Devereaux's phone number is 682-9011. Anders is taking calls at 386-2980.