The city administration recently announced its vision for an uplifting transitional service center at Sand Island for homeless individuals and couples as another offer of relief for unsheltered people. This was welcomed and lauded by most homeless advocates as paying attention to the voices of homeless persons who said they would not enter shelters because they wanted to keep their pets and they want to avoid being repeat victims of robbery or assault while on the street.
Having tested the site for potential health hazards and receiving a green light from the Department of Health, the site now named Hale Mauliola has great potential to be the place of health and hope that it was named and described to be on the day it was announced.
It is close to the ocean where paddlers congregate to enjoy healthy sport and local fisherman go to cast their lines. An acre of land invites imagination and possibilities for a healthy temporary home experience.
A traditional homeless shelter requires a significant outlay of resources in order to operate safely, particularly in a semi-remote area of town with a group of high-need individuals. But, to the city’s credit, it seems to be allowing the winning vendor to design an alternative shelter solution to appeal to those who have found existing shelters wanting that might cost less than the typical shelter.
But alas, an important part of the equation has been left out: homeless families with children.
A look at the most recent "Oahu Point in Time Count" will tell you that unsheltered homeless individuals rose 14 percent. But, despite a 2 percent reduction in overall family homelessness, unsheltered family homelessness in the urban Honolulu areas has risen 37 percent. Sand Island has great potential for chipping away at some of this family homelessness.
A "village," or Hale Mauliola as it has been called by the city, portends a vital community of families with young children who can play safely in a "gated community" while family life is cultivated with neighborly support. Single adults willing to be adopted as uncles and aunties could be assets as well, teaching life skills to the younger members. A shuttle bus running from the site to a major transit artery like Dillingham Boulevard could make shopping for necessities, employment search, health and social services accessible while school buses could pick up children to deliver them to school. A place to learn new skills or apply old ones to growing vegetable gardens or fishing while awaiting access to permanent housing.
At the very least, this new "bridge housing" neighborhood could lead to a brighter future for children who are currently not in a healthy environment surrounded by substance abuse, and living daily with other potential threats to their safety while unsheltered on the streets of Honolulu.
Children are the undisputed victims of homelessness and our local community has a responsibility to take action on their behalf. We hope the city takes this opportunity that the Sand Island property offers to advocate on behalf of families with children. If not now, when? We hope such action is the very next thing on its growing array of homeless solutions. From where we stand, it could not come soon enough.
