A Kauai woman was honored at the White House for her efforts to help homeless families transition into permanent housing.

Desiree Vea, of Koloa, is one of 11 Native American youth leaders named as champions of change.

“The ‘champions of change’ for Native American youth are here to share their stories and to attend the White House Tribal Nations Conference. They are examples of the generation that will build a stronger future,” said Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Charlie Galbraith, in a news release.

The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Barack Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different issue is highlighted and groups of champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community activists, are recognized for the work they are doing to better their communities.

After college in New York, Vea returned to Hawaii in 2009 and was moved by the plight of homeless in her community. 

Homelessness in Hawaii was at its highest in 1997 with the highest rates among Native Hawaiians. That inspired Vea to join AmeriCorps VISTA, a national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. In the program, she helped homeless families transition to permanent rental homes. 

During this year’s legislative session, Vea conducted her first workshop of 12 people who came together to organize a poverty simulation at the state capitol. Her group help create community cash-flow projects, multi-family markets and micro-enterprise.