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A Catholic charity in Hawaii is working to make homelessness on the island chain “rare, brief, and nonrecurring.” Called HOPE Services Hawaii, a non-profit organization of the Catholic Church in Hawaii, the group has served the community through several crises and natural disasters already this year and soon it will expand its operation.
According to the Hawaii Catholic Herald, the charity assisted 16 individuals camped at the Kona Community Aquatic Center, who were about to be driven out by the county earlier this year. HOPE Services Hawaii arrived at the scene before dawn on the day of enforcement in order to assist those in the camp to clean up and gather their things. HOPE did note that they do not support such actions taken by the government, as it disrupts the homeless community and outreach work from charities.
The charity provided food and beverages for those in the camp, while offering shelter beds to the group of homeless who were facing displacement yet again. Not all of them took HOPE up on the shelter beds, but even these seemed interested in the charity’s case management and outreach services.
In August, the group lent pivotal assistance to those homeless people who feared to stay outdoors during Hurricane Hone. The day before the storm, HOPE staffers formed small groups to canvas Hilo, offering homeless individuals rides to the nearby Red Cross shelter site. They brought over a dozen to safety and for those who wanted to brave the storm, the charity offered tarps, towels, flashlights, and other necessities.
Kristen Alice, HOPE’s director of community relations, commented on the charity’s work:
“Our tagline is ‘inspiring hope, changing lives,’ and this is something we see every day in the work we do,” Alice said.
What started as a small diocesan “Care-A-Van” mobile healthcare program has grown into a full fledged charity with over 130 staff members, but HOPE is looking to further expand in the next year. In addition to the seven already established sites – shelters, emergency housing, and integrated care hubs – they just acquired the old convent at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Honokaa, to be renovated into affordable housing for seniors.
In 2024, HOPE also inaugurated a new Assisted Community Treatment program, which addresses mental health issues in the homeless community to help those who are “unaware they are a danger to themselves and others…” This is an extension of HOPE’s 2023 Street Medicine initiative, that sent medical professionals to visit unsheltered individuals on the streets, bringing the care to where they are.
Learn more about HOPE Services Hawaii at the charity’s official website and consider contributing to this worthy cause today.
