Landlord devotes rental rooms to homeless

By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

Twice in her life, Wanda Curry was homeless, reduced to living on the streets in Philadelphia and later in a car here in Hawai'i. After mustering the willpower to separate herself from a failed marriage and the drugs and alcohol that plagued her, she was able to get back on her feet.

Krissi Subiono has volunteered to manage a six-bedroom house that is rented to eight people who otherwise would be homeless. The house is one of three that Wanda Curry bought in Kane'ohe to provide rooms, at low rentals, to those in need. Subiono — and Curry — used to be homeless. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

"After getting my personal life stable with a steady job and a roof over my head and no longer drinking or doing drugs, I had a desire to help," Curry said. "Because it is so hard to find a place to live, I decided that if I could ever assist others in the same situation, I would do it."

Curry, 42, started to fulfill that promise several years ago by renting a single-family home and then renting out the rooms to homeless people. But she soon ran into problems.

"I would collect the rent and pay it for them," Curry said. "But every year I was relocating. Landlords don't want to rent to the people I rent to because of the liabilities."

She decided the best thing to do was buy homes herself to get rid of the middleman. In 1999 she purchased a Kane'ohe house and started renting out the rooms. She kept the prices low and accepted clients in government subsidy programs.

"After the first one, the others were easier," she said. "I paid my bills on time and my credit was good."

Today, Curry owns three Kane'ohe homes and rents rooms to homeless people who are trying to change their lives. This is not a moneymaking operation, she said, just a fulfillment of her desire to help others.

"A lot of people see homeless people as uneducated and depraved," Curry said. "That is not always true. Homelessness can happen to anyone. Any of us are a step away from homelessness. Those people that live paycheck to paycheck. You just never know where life is going to take you."

Krissi Subiono was sick and homeless a year ago with nowhere to go.

"I reached a low point and ended up at the Queen's psych ward because of the drugs," Subiono said. "I wanted to get my life back together."

She said a group called the Ohana Program found her a room in one of Curry's homes and it has made a significant difference in her life. She now volunteers to manage a two-story, six-bedroom home where eight people live.

"I'm more responsible now," she said. "I have taken control of my own life and now can help others as well. I interview applicants, go over the rules and try to help them as much as I can. Finally, I'm getting my life back together and I'm trying to get back into the working system. It's been hard, but I'm doing that."

Laura E. Thielen of Health Care for the Homeless helps connect some of her homeless clients with Curry.

"It is saving a lot of people from going onto the streets," Thielen said. "(Curry) is a dynamic person. She has such energy."

Curry works full time, attends college and runs the three homes, but isn't stopping there. Now she wants to buy an apartment building.

"My dream has come true," Curry said. "I fulfilled it, and now I'd like to do it on a larger scale. That is the road I'm on now. There were times I wanted to give up because of the stress involved. But it's the success stories that keep me going. It is very rewarding."

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.