The glow from Kilauea volcano’s eruption in 2018 illuminates the sky near Hope Services Hawaii’s Sacred Heart Shelter in Pahoa. (Courtesy Hope Services Hawaii)
By Celia K. Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Hope Services Hawaii, a nonprofit agency that works to reduce homelessness and help the unhoused on Hawaii island, has again received a significant grant to boost its reach and impact.
Hope Services was given $2.5 million from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, an annual grant that distributes money to programs in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico striving to address homelessness, especially among families. The funding was announced Nov. 20 in a press release.
In all, 40 organizations received grants totaling $110.5 million from the Day 1 Families Fund this year. After being invited to apply, they were chosen by a panel of experts on family homelessness.
The fund has given out nearly $750 million over the past seven years.
Hope Services was also selected in 2019 and received $2.75 million at the time, a grant that Kristen Alice, director of community relations for the organization, called a “game-changer” for both Hope Services and the Hawaii island community.
The 2019 grant enabled Hope Services to “expand our capacity, take on more projects, grow our team and establish Hope Services as a nationally recognized leader in addressing homelessness on Hawaii island,” Alice told the Hawaii Catholic Herald. “This strong foundation has positioned us to maximize the impact of the funding we’ve received this time.”
“(Being) a repeat recipient of a significant, largely unrestricted grant underscores our reputation as responsible stewards who deliver results and make meaningful progress toward ending homelessness in our community,” she said.
Hope Services is an affiliate organization of the Diocese of Honolulu. Originally the Office for Social Ministry’s Care-A-Van program, it was renamed in 2010.
According to its mission statement, the agency works to “make homelessness on Hawaii island rare, brief and nonrecurring.” In addition to operating seven shelters with 168 beds across the island, Hope Services also provides assistance through outreach, street medicine, case management and programs focused on behavioral health, housing, diversion, prevention and more.
The Nov. 20 press release announcing this year’s award noted that after receiving its 2019 grant, Hope Services was able to dramatically reduce family homelessness — by 25%, according to a point-in-time count. The 2019 funds also allowed Hope Services to expand its affordable housing and shelter offerings, as well as launch its street medicine program, the press release said.
The new grant will help the organization acquire more homes to lease to families in need and also build new housing to meet the ever-growing demand for affordable housing on Hawaii island, the press release said.
Alice added that the funds will help Hope Services continue to grow on the Hamakua coast, where it has already begun outreach efforts with plans for affordable senior housing at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Honokaa.
The ability to broaden the organization’s reach and impact is more critical than ever as the housing crisis has worsened in the past five years, according to Alice.
She cited data from Bridging the Gap, the state’s Continuum of Care program focused on addressing and ending homelessness in Kauai, Maui and Hawaii counties, that showed more families entering homelessness than exiting homelessness on Hawaii island in fiscal year 2024 (July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024).
According to Bridging the Gap, there has been a steep rise in the number of households who became homeless in 2024 for the first time.
Surging real estate prices have also increased pressure on households. Alice shared 2024 data from the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization that showed home prices have more than quadrupled since 2000, and rent in Hawaii is among the highest in the U.S.
According to UHERO, the majority of households in the state are rent-burdened; that is, occupants are spending more than 30% of their monthly income on rent and utilities.
“We are grateful for the Day 1 Families Fund’s continued support of Hawaii island families,” Brandee Menino, CEO of Hope Services Hawaii, said in the press release. “Our families are facing unprecedented hardship and these funds will allow us to expand our data-driven, effective approach to helping them avoid and overcome homelessness.”
