Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Point-in-time count assesses needs of the unsheltered

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By Lisa Dahm Hawaii Catholic Herald On Jan. 26, as the sun dropped below the horizon and the din of the evening work traffic slowly began to subside, dozens of surveyors from Hope Services Hawaii began their three-hour shift as the annual homeless point-in-time count of unsheltered individuals got underway. The survey, conducted every January, […]

Luncheon honors people experiencing homelessness

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By Lisa Dahm Hawaii Catholic Herald HILO — Two days before Thanksgiving, Hope Services Hawaii hosted its annual Homeless Luncheon — an event celebrating community connection where unsheltered people in East Hawaii could receive a hot meal and access to other essential services. A total of 168 guests received lunch Nov. 25 from an all-volunteer […]

15 years on, seed of ‘Hope’ continues to flourish

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The Friendly Place, located in Kailua-Kona, includes several initiatives ranging from emergency shelter to permanent supportive housing. (Lisa Dahm / Hawaii Catholic Herald) By Lisa DahmHawaii Catholic Herald Since 2010, Hope Services Hawaii has worked to house people who are unsheltered across Hawaii island — from kupuna to families and everyone in between. Not only […]

Talk story: Mercy plants the seeds of hope

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Office for Social Ministry “Mercy is the very foundation of the church’s life … The church’s very credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love … Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instills in us the courage to look to the future with hope.” (Pope Francis, Bull […]

Talk story: Providing the vulnerable with dignity and hope

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Office for Social Ministry “May hope fill your hearts … Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring.” (Pope Francis’ proclamation of the 2025 Jubilee Year, delivered May 9, […]

Talk story: Let us embark on ‘revolution of love’

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Office for Social Ministry “(The parable of the good Samaritan) constantly challenges us to think about our own lives. It troubles our dormant or distracted consciences, and warns us about the risk of a complacent faith that is satisfied with the outward observance of the law but incapable of feeling and acting with the same […]

Talk story: Let us be living examples of Christ’s light for others

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Office for Social Ministry “In this Jubilee Year of Hope, Christ, who is our hope, indeed calls all of us to come together, that we might be that true living example: the light of hope in the world today.” (Pope Leo XIV video message, Chicago, June 14) Recently, tens of thousands gathered at the Chicago […]

Talk story: Fraternal compassion is needed more than ever

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Office for Social Ministry “In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest. For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within […]

Hope Services Hawaii expands support for young people

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By Celia K. Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald Young people struggling with homelessness on Hawaii Island have a new resource where they can find safety, essential services and even a place to stay. Hope Services Hawaii, a nonprofit affiliation organization of the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii, has teamed up with Neighborhood Place of Puna and […]

Housing agency and health plan provider join forces on new residential program

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Hawaii Catholic Herald Hope Services Hawaii, the largest nonprofit homeless services provider on Hawaii Island, has partnered with a health plan provider to establish a first-in-Hawaii residential program for integrated clinical care. Hope Services, an affiliate organization of the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii, is working with Ohana Health Plan, which provides government-sponsored managed care […]