The Institute for Human Services, the state’s largest and oldest homeless shelter, will expand its Waikiki outreach on Thursday with the opening of the Moiliili Homeless Service Center.
The center, which is located at St. Mary’s Church in Moiliili, will serve clients on the last Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. IHS and partner agencies will provide a complimentary one-stop program for those at risk and experiencing homelessness. Services include housing navigation, substance abuse treatment, medical treatment, access to employment opportunities, free meals, legal counseling and spiritual support.
"Homelessness has evolved over the past 36 years and homeless service providers like IHS have got to adapt to a changing homeless landscape with new service delivery models," says Connie Mitchell, IHS executive director. "Homeless service centers have become an effective approach to the challenge of homelessness locally and nationally by offering services closer to where homeless people hang out."
Since starting its annual outreach effort in November in Waikiki, IHS has served 127 unsheltered homeless individuals, moving 49 of them into shelters and 23 into housing. Another 20 were placed in an airline relocation program that funds half of a ticket and helps formulate a safety net for the next destination.
This latest Waikiki outreach effort is patterned after IHS’ North Shore Service Center, which since 2012 has gotten 135 clients permanently housed. Kimo Carvalho, IHS community relations director, said the new center fills a need that has been growing since the passage of the sit-lie law, which has made homeless individuals even more transient.
"By having a service center outside of Waikiki, we can continue to serve the Waikiki homeless population as well as those who are at risk and unsheltered within these communities," Carvalho said.
The effort has been well received by local businesses and partner agencies, including the Hawaii Foodbank, John Burns Medical School’s Mobile Medical Unit, Action with Aloha Substance Abuse Counseling, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii and the IHS Housing and Employment Programs. Carvalho said businesses like the Hawaii Institute of Hair Design and Mama Woo’s Korean BBQ also have offered free haircuts and meals.
"The center gives people the opportunity to be engaged and be part of the solution," Mitchell said.
Tanu Sataraka, IHS outreach specialist, said the center’s need is evidenced by the 35 people who visited on a one-day soft launch.
"We got very positive feedback," Sataraka said. "The only criticism was that we needed to open more often. Once we get more support, we’ll try for weekly."
The Waikiki Homeless Outreach Initiative that includes the Moiliili Service Center costs $500,000 per year. To help offset the shortfall in funds, the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association will host "Hawaii for Hawaii," a benefit concert on May 9 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village’s Great Lawn.
"As an industry, we are investing in innovation so that strategies developed for Waikiki can become replicable for other communities throughout the state," said Jerry Gibson, Hilton Hawaii area vice president. "This is smart business and we have a role to play to solve our community problems. We encourage the community at large to join us and support our efforts to solve homelessness, one community at a time."
