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Just over 16 years ago, Twinkle Borge, wounded in spirit and haunted by meth, came to live with six others under the kiawe trees bordering the Waianae Small Boat Harbor.
Today, older and wiser, Borge is preparing to leave. But she will not be alone; she intends to take with her the entire community that has grown up with and around her — about 200 men, women and children living in Pu‘uhonua O Wai‘anae, the village of houseless people over which she presides.
Borge’s talent for organization and problem-solving — and a willingness to speak out against efforts to evict her and her neighbors — helped transform her into the leader of a community now seen as a model of communal living for those with very few resources.
Borge also learned from Hawaiian sovereignty activist Dennis “Bumpy” Kanahele, who led a group that occupied Makapuu Beach Park in the 1990s before signing a long-term lease to live on state-owned land in Waimanalo.
Now the Pu‘uhonua village, along with the nonprofit Dynamic Community Solutions, hopes to trade in drafty tents for sturdy tiny homes on 20 acres of private land in Waianae Valley. They say they have raised more than $900,000 of the $1.5 million needed to buy the land outright, with another $3 million needed for the houses, community structures and infrastructure.
“Believe me, it’ll come,” Borge said. “I know it sounds nuts, but to me, if God is for this, he’s going to open the doors for us. We gotta go through them; we gotta do what we gotta do.”
Borge, 50, regularly guides curious visitors through the village. She shows them the gardens and coops for chickens and ducks, as well as a food pantry and a donations tent where anyone can pick up needed supplies, all for free. Bulletin boards display public announcements. Education and school are top priorities for the children, who live with their parents and guardians. It has a website, alohaliveshere.org.
It obviously is a planned community, and not a random collection of tents familiar to urban dwellers. Unlike those camps, Borge’s village is “out of sight, out of mind,” she said. But she also pointed out another essential difference: A willingness to listen, and to help.
“We do go out to other houseless camps and share with them about how to build relationships,” she said. “I share how we started, by taking care of each other, and taking care of the place. Then, reaching out to neighbors — the school next door, the businesses and government — to ask, how can we help? How can we be part of the solution? That is how we built relationships and built community.
“What is the one thing the city and the state lack? Relationships. They gotta build the relationships. Ask how can we help besides sweeping them, because we’re not solving anything. We’re just showing them that they cannot trust the system. The system has failed us many times.”
As for her unusual first name, it was given to her at birth. She got it from her sister, who was inspired by a music box that played, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Question: What was your life like growing up?
Answer: I grew up in Palolo. I attended Waikiki Elementary, Jarrett Intermediate and Kaimuki High School. My parents always provided for us, but my life wasn’t easy. I was always kind of the black sheep. I was exposed to a lot of bad things at a very early age. By the time I was in high school, I was making bad choices. But even the bad choices and bad experiences made me the person I am today. Now, when I see kids going through hard times, I know what they are going through, and I can help them.
Q: How did you come to be at Pu‘uhonua O Waianae?
A: I first came to the harbor in October 2003. That was the year I lost my place. My heart was broken, and I was caught up in using drugs. But this place saved my life. I believe it is a healing place. I got clean and sober here, without any program. One day my niece asked me to babysit her young son. He looked at me like I was the most perfect person in the world. It gave me hope that I could rebuild my relationship with family, which I thought I had lost.
He just asked me recently, “Auntie, how come you love me so much?” I told him: Because you’re the one who actually saved my life. You’re the one who brought me back to reality. Regardless of what I was going through, you were that little hope that God sent me when I thought nobody was there.
Q: How did you come to lead Pu‘uhonua O Waianae?
A: I guess I was the one person who was very blunt — I will tell you straight up. And because how people knew me from the past and now how I am, they kind of respected that. It wasn’t something that was forced on them; it was done organically.
Q: What is the status of the move to the new location?
A: The land is not ours yet. We are pre-approved for a short-term loan so we can complete the purchase even if we haven’t raised all of the donations. We are fundraising to be sure we don’t have to carry any debt, because we want to keep the homes as affordable as possible for our people.
Q: Will residents be required to live in the planned tiny homes, or can they set up tents like they do now?
A: We are moving people from tent to home, not tent to tent. Most people who have a house don’t realize how hard it is to live in a tent. Every time it rains you stay up all night pushing out water pockets and trying not to get flooded. Every time there’s strong wind, you worry about something crashing into your tent, and losing everything.
Q: Will you change how the community is led and managed?
A: It will operate the same as now. The village is organized in sections with 20 to 25 people each, and a captain for each section. Captains support people in their section, and build community. They also address any problems and uphold rules. And all the captains report to me. Me and the captains meet every week.
People pitch in now and will have to pitch in there, too. We have mandatory community service hours. Right now we do things to take care of the public park, clean the public bathrooms, and we do things to help people outside the village, like give out backpacks and school supplies at back-to-school time. We will continue to do that.
Q: What if some people don’t want to leave?
A: Most people are ready to move. Some are scared, and I have to work with them to become ready. As we move, we are going to clean, section by section. I still feel kuleana for this place, so I hope the state will allow us to play a role in taking care of this place even after we move. The last thing I want to see is new people coming in who don’t take care.
Q: What attributes are necessary to be a community leader?
A: Honesty. Dedication. Lead by example. Walk your talk. Listen. I always tell my captains: give everyone the opportunity to speak, so we know what things we need to work on. Most important is compassion. My leaders are tired of hearing me say it. Always got to bring the aloha. Even if it’s hard.
Q: What did you learn from Bumpy Kanahele?
A: I remember when I was a little girl and they were living on the beach. We used to go and clean with my auntie — she was a groundskeeper from Kuliouou all the way out to Makapuu. So we used to always pass the encampment. I never really understood it until I came here. So one day we went up to him, just asking questions, because my thing was, if this guy can get property, how come we no can? He did what he had to do to secure a place for the people.
I even remember him telling me, “So Auntie, you ready for get arrested?” (Laughs) I said, If that’s what it takes. I said, Jail no scare me, uncle. … If that’s what it takes for our people to get what we need to get, so be it.
But we are also different, and I think he would say that, too. Uncle Bumpy is about sovereignty. Pu‘uhonua is about the healing. Pu‘uhonua is about building community, not just inside the village but with people outside, too.
Q: What would you say to those who are frustrated about houseless people living in their communities?
A: I hope people will be more understanding. Regardless how we live, we are still people. A lot of times, people don’t realize, the people are in that place for a reason. Some grew up in those areas. Many have family or work or church near where they are staying. If anyone ever wants to know anything about me or the village, please come. Talk to us. We are no different. We are human beings. I’m no different. I’m no better than anybody. Come build a relationship.
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