Question: At the end of the Vietnam War, our family sponsored a young male refugee. He lived with us for a year while he learned English and attended Kapiolani Community College to learn a trade. He went on to become a U.S. citizen and successful small-business owner. I am heartsick at the number of refugee families currently escaping wars in the Middle East. I would sponsor a family or a woman with children if I knew where to start. Is there a way to do this? Can you point me in the right direction?

Answer: Resettlement agencies strive to place refugees in cities where they have close family and cultural ties and avoid places where the cost of living is extremely high, two of the reasons Hawaii receives few refugees from the Middle East. Although unlikely to be a direct sponsor (because you are not a relative), there are other ways you can help people fleeing war and persecution, especially if you are open to helping refugees from anywhere, not only the Middle East.

For more information, contact the Pacific Gateway Center, a Honolulu-based nonprofit affiliated with an international resettlement organization. The center, which accepts donations of money, supplies and time, helps refugees (and immigrants) start life anew in Hawaii by helping them find work and housing, coordinating English-language classes and providing other programs. For more information, check the center’s website at pacificgateway center.org, call 851-7010 or email Than Htut Aye at than@pacificgatewaycenter.org.

Here is PGC’s full response to your query, which Kokua Line passed along to the agency:

“Mahalo for your question that perhaps others might also have as well. We would like to thank you for your aloha and your keen interest in sponsoring a Middle East family. As Hawaii’s Refugee Resettlement Agency, we are always grateful for families who are willing to provide support and resources to refugee families. Refugee families are assigned to Pacific Gateway Center (PGC) from the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. We are USCRI’s partner agency in Hawaii.

“There are a number of factors that contribute to determining which state refugees are assigned. However, the most significant is whether there is a family tie in that state. This is particularly important in Hawaii as we are an ‘impacted’ state, which means that as a state with a significantly high cost of living, it is important that there is a safety net with a family tie to help support the refugee and family with successful transition to resettlement. Given these conditions, the vast majority of Middle East refugees are assigned to other states in the U.S. with Middle Eastern communities.

“PGC has welcomed refugees from Iran and Iraq but they all had immediate relatives in Hawaii. Therefore, refugees assigned to Hawaii to PGC have (family) ties or close family friends with whom they can stay. Thank you for you inquiry and interest. … We happily accept donations of gently used clothes for adults and children, housewares, furniture, gift cards to supermarkets, drug stores, etc., to support our refugee families. This would be a wonderful way to assist and support the refugee families.”

Auwe

Auwe to the person who dumps his bags of yard cuttings in front of my home. I cannot see the illegal activity since I have a retaining wall that conceals my view of the street. This is not the first time, and each time I have to transfer the cuttings to my green bins. I have to assume the cuttings come from homes either on Paty Drive or side streets mauka of Paty. Please dispose of your trash properly. — Owen Miyamoto, Manoa

E kala mai

So sorry to the lady I snapped at in line. I was staring at my phone and didn’t notice right away that the line was moving or that you had stepped in front of me to fill in the gap I had created by not moving ahead. That was embarrassing but I should not have overreacted. You were making a point, and I learned my lesson to pay attention. — Distracted shopper

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.