Caldwell thanks landlords for renting to military vets

Mayor Kirk Caldwell formally thanked landlords who accepted some 860 homeless military veterans on Oahu as tenants in the past 18 months, but pushed them on Tuesday for even more help to rescue remaining homeless former service members.

Social service outreach workers say they know 93 homeless military veterans across Oahu by name, and Caldwell implored landlords to consider helping them at a “Heroes Housing Heroes” ceremony at the city’s Mission Memorial Auditorium.

The event included video testimonials from landlords who spoke about how good it feels to help homeless veterans — while receiving support from government and social service agencies.

Those who accept veterans as tenants are assured of rental payments through federal housing vouchers aimed specifically to help veterans. Veterans pay 30 percent of their income (often through government benefits) toward rent, and federal vouchers cover the rest.

The programs help former service members like James Norman, 62, an Army veteran who was homeless on Kauai in 2014 when he came in contact with the U.S. Vets organization, which now has the Honolulu contract to find so-called “Housing First” rental units for homeless civilians and veterans on Oahu.

U.S. Vets connected Norman with the Department of Veterans Affairs, which diagnosed him as “catastrophically disabled.”

It was a diagnosis that Norman did not understand until he received treatment and medications — and a Waikiki landlord agreed to rent him a studio apartment.

After 18 months in his Waikiki apartment, Norman said he “finally, just last month, found out what my catastrophic disability was. It’s called (associative) identity disorder, commonly known as multiple personality disorder. After 20 years of searching, I finally found out.”

To a standing ovation and loud applause, Norman said, “With the help of the VA, U.S. Vets, the City and County of Honolulu, the state of Hawaii, my doctors and my wife, I am able to speak to you today.”

State and county officials are following the best practices being used to address homelessness on the mainland, but Norman said the programs can’t possibly work there as well as they do in the islands.

“Without aloha,” he said, “it turns into just another government program.”

Like Norman, each of the 93 vets on Oahu still in need of housing has access to federal housing vouchers to pay for their housing, but need a landlord to accept them, said city spokesman Andrew Pereira.

Caldwell hugged and thanked some of the landlords “who have done so much to house those who don’t have homes.” He called the landlords “brave enough to step up and (say), ‘We’ll try. We’ll try something that’s maybe uncomfortable.’”

Along with fair-market landlords, Caldwell thanked Gov. David Ige and a coalition of federal and social service agencies, and frequently used the pronoun “we” in talking about the combined efforts to reduce homelessness on Oahu, which has experienced the highest per capita rate in the country.

Caldwell repeated the story of how he reluctantly became the last of 25 mayors to accept first lady Michelle Obama’s “Mayor’s Challenge” to end veterans’ homelessness in their cities, a goal that Honolulu fell short of reaching last year.

Caldwell acknowledged he was “a little worried” about accepting Obama’s challenge, but said, “I’m really glad I did,” after seeing homeless veterans move into permanent housing.

“I know one thing,” Caldwell added. “We housed 860 veterans who were unhoused before, and that feels real good, and you guys all deserve the credit.”

Without pausing, Caldwell quickly added, “We need you to step up.”

“By wrapping them with love and getting them into housing and treating their challenges, they get back on their feet and they don’t become homeless again and they become contributing citizens,” Caldwell said. “That is my hope and I’m not giving up. We’re going to keep pushing. It’s a difficult task, but you guys understand that.”