Two grants will allow the Catholic diocese-affiliate HOPE Services Hawaii and two other Big Island non-profit organizations to give one-time emergency financial assistance to Hawaii Island residents who have been laid off or whose income has been reduced because of the coronavirus pandemic. Hawaii Community Foundation has provided $100,000 and Hawaii Island United Way’s Rent […]
HOPE Services arranges hotel for homeless during pandemic
Sheltering-in-place doesn’t mean much when you don’t have a place to shelter. That’s why HOPE Services Hawaii is coordinating a place for homeless elderly and medically at-risk homeless to stay during the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting on April 9, the non-profit affiliate of the Diocese of Honolulu’s Office for Social Ministry began moving homeless kupuna into […]
‘Where did you sleep on Jan. 26?’
Catholic Church-affiliate HOPE Services conducts Hawaii island Homeless Point in Time Count HOPE Services Hawaii, the Catholic Church-affiliated leader in the battle against homelessness on the Big Island, last week facilitated the annual Homeless Point in Time Count on that island. The count, an annual census of people experiencing homelessness on a given night, had […]
HOPE Services opens new Hilo shelter for homeless men
An old Hilo hospital is now a new shelter and assessment center for homeless men on the Big Island, run by HOPE Services Hawaii, a non-profit agency affiliated with the Diocese of Honolulu. The blessing and opening of Keolahou shelter was Nov. 8. The facility, at 34 Rainbow Drive in Hilo, is the same building […]
$2.75 million grant from Amazon founder a boost for agency
HOPE Services Hawaii has received a $2.75 million grant from the Bezos Day One Fund, its biggest-ever one-time donation. The money comes from Amazon founder Jeff Bezo’s philanthropic organization in its second year of giving to nonprofits fighting family homelessness. “We are grateful for the generosity and confidence of the Day 1 Families Fund for […]
HOPE Services head Brandee Menino receives prestigious Ho‘okele Award
Brandee Menino, chief executive officer of HOPE Services Hawaii, an affiliate agency of the Diocese of Honolulu, was one of three women non-profit executives to receive the Hawaii Community Foundation’s prestigious Ho‘okele Award in an Aug. 29 ceremony. HOPE Services is a nonprofit organization primarily focused on ending homelessness in Hawaii. HOPE operates outreach programs […]
Sacred Hearts Shelter continues to house elderly volcano evacuees
Anna Weaver Hawaii Catholic Herald Kilauea’s unprecedented eruption last year may have stopped, but elderly evacuees from the volcano’s destructive path continue to find a welcoming place at Sacred Heart Shelter in Pahoa on the Big Island. The complex is made up of 20 small homes, a communal cooking and dining pavilion, and bathroom facilities, […]
It took a village to raise a village
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 […]
Catholic agency building 20 units for those displaced by eruption
HOPE Services Hawaii has partnered with some 20 local construction and engineering companies By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald HOPE Services Hawaii, an affiliate agency of the Diocese of Honolulu, together with an outpouring of community help, is building 20 temporary shelters on Catholic Church property in Pahoa to help some of those displaced by […]
‘Pray for Puna’: Church responds to the needs of those displaced by the volcanic eruption on the Big Island
By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald “Pray for Puna.” That’s the message coming from the Big Island of Hawaii as a fierce and unpredictable volcanic eruption displaces hundreds of residents. In addition to offering prayers, the Catholic Church is stepping into action. Parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish in the town of Pahoa in the island’s […]