One Hammer At A Time For Ohana Hou
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Volunteers Garry Nicholas and Rachel Elia help
Doug Goodman (right) of Ohana Hou — an
offshoot of the Windward Homeless Coalition —
install drywall and floor tiles at a Hookipa
housing unit to prepare the Kahaluu apartment
for families in need. Photo by Byron Lee, staff
photographer.
As the swirl of talk continues to blow over Hawaii’s homeless problem, a handful of Windward residents have rolled up their sleeves and are getting right to it.
Ohana Hou volunteers meet every Saturday at Kahaluu’s Hookipa housing project to fix up vacant units so needy families can move in. Nine out of the 56 apartments are in disrepair, and the waiting list is long.
“It’s not a tough decision politically,“said Doug Goodman, Windward HCAP director.“There’s the cost factor (free skilled labor), it helps ease the housing burden, and the rewards are tangible. We’re putting the “action” back into Honolulu Community Action Program.”(To join up, call 239-5754.)
HCAP is partnering with the Windward Homeless Coalition and the housing manager to make it happen. “The state decided to give homeless families priority,” he explained,“and that exactly addresses the population we want to help.”
Goodman and his crew of about 12 have been working for a month already at Hookipa, a low-income complex near the intersection of Ahuimanu Road and Kahekili Highway. Most are skilled laborers like Goodman who can fix plumbing leaks and drywall, cut sheetrock, replace rotten cabinets and lay new floor tile.
Teens from KEY Project and members of Assembly of God church across the road have helped with exterior painting.
“You don’t have to be skilled to do it,” Goodman said.“I teach how to do it - and I really like that part of it. They learn how to lay tile, they help us out, and everybody wins.“Also on his crew: a woman who lives in Hookipa (“she has practical knowledge”), a former Habitat for Humanity supervisor (“he knows everything”) and a WCC student (“he’s brilliant in math but new to home repairs”).
Regardless of their know-how, manager Tammy Rodriguez is thrilled with the help, since her small Hawaii Affordable Properties staff is stretched thin to maintain 226 units at five low-income projects in Windward. She’s made sure Ohana Hou has all the materials and tools it needs.
“It’s awesome,“she said.“They’re even coming on weekdays now!
“I always look forward to community help. We’re getting people off the waiting list and into a decent unit, not just slapping it together. And the tenants are helping too.”
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