A group of completed micro-houses stand in the Sacred Heart Shelter complex June 22 on the grounds of Sacred Heart Church, Pahoa. (Photo courtesy of HOPE Services Hawaii)
Sacred Heart Shelter, the mini-neighborhood of micro-homes for volcano evacuees, will be blessed June 30
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
The donation of land by the Diocese of Honolulu has motivated the creation of a neighborhood of micro-houses for families left homeless by Kilauea volcano.
Under the leadership of HOPE Services Hawaii, an affiliate agency of the diocese, and thanks to the bigheartedness of the community, a complex of 20 small homes has materialized over the past few weeks on a vacant lot adjacent to Sacred Heart Church in Pahoa leased from the diocese.
The church property is only three and a half miles from the erupting fissures, but considered safe from the flow which is going in the opposite direction.
Workers take a pause while putting the finishing touches on the drywall in one of the micro-houses in the Sacred Heart Shelter complex June 22. (Photo courtesy of HOPE Services Hawaii)
As the eruption, which has so far destroyed more than 600 homes, ended its seventh week, finishing touches were being made to the housing project, called Sacred Heart Shelter, in time for its June 30 blessing.
The final structures being built were a communal pavilion furnished with a kitchen area equipped with cabinets, small appliances and a gas grill, and separate bathroom and shower facilities.
In the living units themselves, workers were installing the drywall, flooring and electrical wiring.
Brandee Menino, chief executive officer of HOPE Services, said that the expertise, generosity and cooperation of the partners multiplied what they were able to accomplish.
She spoke to the Hawaii Catholic Herald June 22 while on Oahu for a meeting.
Menino said that about 300 of those left homeless by the eruption are living in temporary shelters in Pahoa and Keaau or are encamped in cars and tents around the shelters.
She said that the first people will be moving into the units soon after the blessing and hopes to have the houses “fully occupied within two weeks.”
A special committee is choosing the people eligible to move into the new shelters. The first criterion is that their former homes were destroyed by the lava. The second is that a member of the household must be 60 or older. Families with minor children are next. Pets are welcome.
The 10-by-12 foot houses are modest, but much better than a tent, or a car, or a cot in an open floor shelter.
Each will have two lights, one inside and one outside, and one electrical outlet.
Menino said that the most a single unit can hold is probably four people.
A $10,000 grant from a single donor is being used to buy beds from local furniture outlets. Though space is tight, Menino wants decent beds for the older occupants — “no cots or mattresses on the floor.” The kids can use foldable foam mattresses, she said.
Most of the units were built in one day, June 9, when about 200 volunteers, including 48 members of the U.S. Army National Guard, 40 from Habitat for Humanity, licensed contractors and others converged on the one-and-a-half acre site to hammer, saw, carry, lift and paint.
The project started with about 20 local construction and engineering companies volunteering their services, Menino said.
That number quickly swelled to 40 she said.
The shelter’s project manager is HPM Building Supply. The lead contractors are Big Island Electrical, Pacific Rim Construction and Haunga General Construction.
The initial funding for the project came through a $75,000 grant from Hawaii Island United Way and a $25,000 foundation grant. Other funds came from Hawaii County Office of Aging and the Diocese of Honolulu.
Dozens of other contractors and retail outlets joined the effort. They included plumbers, engineers, container companies, truckers, electricians, home improvement stores, a fencing company, construction companies, food wholesalers and retailers, and more.
One local distributor is donating a Smartflower, 15-foot-tall retractable solar photo-voltaic unit, that will help supply electrical power to the entire shelter complex.
Menino said that the work on Sacred Heart Shelter “went viral” on social media with 100,000 views on HOPE Services Facebook page.
Inspiring others to offer help
Sacred Hearts Shelter Build Day from HOPE Services Hawaii on Vimeo.
The project is inspiring people to come forward with offers to help, she said, including private landowners, one with 20 acres, another with 30. Some are asking for guidance in beginning their own projects.
“We are connecting them to the right people,” Menino said.
Menino said that when it comes to construction regulations and requirements, “the mayor’s office has been very helpful” and local public works departments are cooperative.
HOPE Services is also working with other service agencies like United Way and FEMA, making sure no one falls through the cracks.
It has been providing other assistance to residents of the Puna district’s subdivisions of Leilani Estates, Kapoho and Vacationland who have lost homes to the historic outflow of lava.
HOPE Services has been helping connect homeless evacuees with potential rental property owners, using public and private funds to assist with initial rent payments and deposits.
As of June 22, Menino said her organization has helped 25 households move from emergency shelters into new homes. Meanwhile, there are 477 requests for permanent housing assistance, she said.
HOPE Services Hawaii Inc., a non-profit-organization, was created in 2010 out of the Diocese of Honolulu’s Office for Social Ministry, which had been combating homelessness and other social ills on the Big Island since 1983.
Basing its mission on the “Gospel values of justice, love, compassion and hope,” HOPE Services attles homelessness through a range of services including outreach, case management, emergency and transitional shelters, housing placement, emergency financial assistance and permanent supportive housing.
In addition to serving homeless persons directly, HOPE Services fights the systemic problem of homelessness through advocacy and public education, community planning, and the support of formerly homeless people.
According to a June 2018 media release, the work of HOPE Services has contributed to a two-year decline in homelessness on the island. From May 2017 to May 2018, it has provided services to 824 households comprised of 1,490 individuals, 209 families, 478 children, 122 seniors 62 years and older, and 78 veterans.
