HILO, Hawai'i — A new group home for troubled teenage girls opened yesterday in a renovated teacher's cottage in rural Honoka'a, and Big Island social services workers said they hope it will offer an alternative for girls who might otherwise be sent to the state youth prison on O'ahu.

Ke Kama Pono, or "Home of Promise," will house up to six girls ages 13 to 17, and will have a state-certified teacher on the staff to help the girls catch up on their studies, said Pauline Pavao, administrator for the Salvation Army's Family Intervention Services on the Big Island.

The long-term group home will not accept girls with a history of violence, felony convictions or drug addiction, Pavao said. Instead, the home will focus on youngsters who may have been abused or neglected, and may have committed "status offenses" such as running away from home or truancy.

When the Family Court encounters a chronic runaway or truant who is getting deeper into trouble, the system may send the teenager to the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility if there are no community beds available, Pavao said.

"Yeah, we can ship them away, but if we don't work with these kids, they're going to come back to our community, and after they've been locked up, it's going to be worse," she said.

There will be two counselors in the group home at all times, and Ke Kama Pono offerings will include preparation for high school equivalency exams, training in life skills and job hunting, personal and family counseling and drug abuse education.

"If we don't get them an education and the skills, these kids end up in the homeless population," or can eventually end up in prison, Pavao said. On average, teenagers will remain in the program for six to nine months, she said.

The Salvation Army operates an emergency shelter and a group home in Hilo, and an emergency shelter in Kona, but Pavao said there has been a growing demand for services for youngsters, and particularly for girls living along the Hamakua Coast from Waimea to Laupahoehoe. Last year, the Salvation Army served 40 teenagers from the Hamakua area, she said.

Those youngsters can be housed in Hilo or Kona, but that makes family counseling extremely difficult, she said. Often both parents work, and driving across the island for counseling sessions after work was impractical, she said.

The Salvation Army will operate the home under a $650,000-a-year contract with the state Office of Youth Services. The state spent $60,000 to renovate the cottage.

Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com.