So many homeless people …

In Waikiki, a middle-aged man, his belongings stacked next to him, sleeps propped against the wall of a popular store.

In Lahaina, a man is convicted in the beating of another man at a homeless encampment.

In Chinatown, a woman with all her belongings in a shopping cart searches garbage cans for refund bottles.

On Hawaii island, a man stands at a busy intersection holding a sign, pleading for work.

These sights used to shock us; now they seem almost routine. We glance quickly, then turn away. There are so many homeless people.

Is Hawaii losing its battle against homelessness? Are we, in any way, winning?

This month, Maui’s Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center in Wailuku marks its 25th anniversary of serving homeless individuals and families. Becky Woods, chief executive officer, explains that KHAKO is the first "Continuum of Care shelter program on Maui." It provides a complete package of services ranging from parenting skills, GED, English as a second language, money management and many more programs that give the participants the tools they need to find and maintain affordable housing, jobs and life stability."

As a KHAKO volunteer, I recently spent a year working on a video about the resource center and the affect it has had on our community. We found and interviewed some of Maui’s homeless families and individuals. Some had dropped out or "flunked out" of the KHAKO program.

"There’s too many rules there," said a man whose two toddler children were sleeping in back of his truck parked near the docks in Kahului. "They want you to go to classes, get a job. You can’t drink."

He looked out over the bay and shook his head. "Nobody tells me what to do."

Yes. Adults who enter the resource center do have to follow rules and must use its resources. They begin a two-year program of counseling, classes and help. They study things as basic as using a checkbook, learning to say no, making good choices at Kmart. They learn where and how to apply for jobs.

Every adult resident must also volunteer and help others in the program. For example, by babysitting a few hours a week at the child care center or helping to prepare meals.

Once program participants are ready to move out on their own, they are eligible to apply for Ka Hale A Ke Ola’s affordable rental housing, Hale Makana O Waiale, a permanent home.

That daddy who dropped out because he didn’t like rules? Yes … he would have to vow to not drink and not do drugs, and he would have to leave the resource center if he did. Yes, he would have had to be a sober father, find both a job and a way to house his family.

Some fail — but hundreds more, parents and individuals, have built a new life for themselves and their families.

These individuals, as Woods says, validate our mission statement in our video, "Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness."

Please go to KHAKO.com and learn more about what we — and you — can do to help the homeless.

Meet a mom who made decisions based on what was best for her infant son. See a dad who has a new, more promising life.

Are we winning the battle on homelessness?

Toni Polancy is a board member of Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center.