Windward sees more young homeless
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
KAHUKU — Almost two years after its first homeless outreach effort, a group of Windward agencies says a growing number of young people are coming forward asking for help.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
They often have jobs but no permanent place to live and struggle to find help for themselves and, often, their young children, the agencies said.
Valerie Oga, left, is no longer homeless thanks to support from Sherry Martinez of Hopeful Hearts & Giving Hands and other agencies. Oga received food yesterday from Hope Chapel Ko'olau Loa in Kahuku.
"More young people in the age range of 18 to 30 are telling us they're homeless," said Robert Naniole, community services manager for the Honolulu Community Action Program, which is a member of the Windward Homeless Coalition. "And they work. They have jobs where they can barely sustain themselves."
The coalition assisted 38 people ages 18 to 30 in February during an outreach effort in Kahalu'u. Fifty people in that age group sought help yesterday at the coalition's outreach effort at Kahuku Hospital.
The numbers are still relatively small, and the area served by the coalition is just one part of the island. But coalition members are concerned that what they're seeing could be an indicator of larger statewide problems.
These people have young children and that raises concerns about their health, safety and well being, Naniole said.
"It makes the children more vulnerable and the parents fearful that their children will be taken away," he said.
The Windward Homeless Coalition was established nearly three years ago to bring services out to people in communities from Makapu'u to Sunset Beach.
Estimates are that there are 20,000 visible homeless in Hawai'i and 80 percent of them live at O'ahu beaches and parks. The number of hidden homeless — those living in cars, vans and abandoned structures — is unknown.
The coalition helps a wide range of people including the elderly, college students and young adults who are struggling to survive.
The coalition began its first outreach in November 2003. Participating agencies include Hale Kipa, Child and Family Services, Lili'uokalani Children's Center, the Legal Aid Society of Hawai'i, Head Start and veterans groups. People can learn about services for youths, finances, housing, employment and medical care.
Yesterday, Hope Chapel Ko'olau Loa, which provides food distribution at Kahuku Hospital twice a month, handed out food to 158 people, including 70 children.
Sherry Martinez, coordinator for the Hopeful Hearts & Giving Hands ministry of Hope Chapel Ko'olau Loa, said when she started the program a year and a half ago 35 people showed up.
Here is a list of the Windward Homeless Coalition outreach programs and the number of people served: Nov. 25, 2003, Waimanalo Beach Park, 67 adults, 30 children. Feb. 24, 2004, Kualoa Beach Park, 78 adults, 33 children. April 27, 2004, Kahuku Hospital, 40 adults, 48 children. Oct. 26, 2004, Waimanalo Bay Park, 55 adults, 24 children. Feb. 28, 2005, KEY Project, Kahalu'u, 59 adults, 54 children. Yesterday, Kahuku Hospital, 88 adults, 70 children. For more information, contact the Honolulu Community Action Program at 239-5754.
Word spread and the group now feeds 1,000 people a month at Kahuku. Of the people who pick up food, 17 percent are homeless and 30 percent are seniors, Martinez said. Yesterday, 45 new people signed up for the free food.
Helping the homeless
Hoku Ahloy, 34, a mother of four children, was among those seeking assistance yesterday in the hospital parking lot. She and her husband rely on free food provided by Hope Chapel, which was one of the organizations at yesterday's outreach effort.
"Two incomes doesn't do nothing," Ahloy said. "The bills pile up. We try to get rid of them but we get more."
She said the family recently was at risk of becoming homeless, but luckily her parents allowed her family of six to move into their Kahuku home.
Ahloy, who works part time, said she had to move from her $500-a-month Kalihi apartment because the neighborhood wasn't safe for her young children.
"My kids couldn't be free to play," she said. "There was drugs and drug raids, bounty hunters and fugitives out there. I didn't feel safe and my kids didn't like it."
Although the cost of the apartment was reasonable, she said that even with her husband's income from a disability check and her wages they couldn't pay all the bills. They receive assistance from the state because they have a child with Down syndrome
The coalition assists people of all ages.
Joseph Kamai Jr., 48, has been homeless for about a year and a half and he said he depends on the food giveaways to sustain himself and his partner. Kamai said he suffers from gout and back pain that he blames on being overweight. He said he's signed up with the coalition in hopes of finding a home and getting the treatment he needs. A place to live would be helpful to regaining his health, he said.
"Having one home you can control your diet, the intake," he said, adding that he feels compelled to overeat because he has no place to store food and doesn't want it to go to waste.
There are success stories.
Valerie Oga, 41, said she was finally able to get housing after living in the bush on the North Shore for five years. Drug, alcohol and relationship problems contributed to depression, Oga said. But a desire to be reunited with her children finally motivated her to seek help through the Waikiki Health Center.
Even with a job and a new home, Oga said she still needs the assistance from organizations like Hope Chapel and the coalition to make ends meet. Now she helps out at other outreach projects and said she never wants to go back to homelessness.
"I get to go home to an apartment, that's what keeps me going," she said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
