MEDIA RELEASE
This November, organizations across Hawaiʻi Island will participate in the first annual Hawaii Housing Month. The campaign will feature social media conversations about housing and homelessness, and will share specific, effective steps community members can take to help. “So often, anecdotes and stereotypes are conflated with fact in the conversation about homelessness. We hope that, by sharing data and solutions from the experts who work directly with people experiencing homelessness, we can have a more informed and action-oriented discussion about getting people off the streets and into housing,” says Paul Normann, Executive Director of Neighborhood Place of Puna.
One such misconception is that people who become homeless do so as a result of irresponsible decisions, when in reality, over ⅓ of Hawaii Island’s homeless population is made up of children.
The campaign is sponsored by the Community Alliance Partners, a coalition of Hawai`i Island providers and community members working to end homelessness. It will feature social media conversations with weekly themes, including family homelessness, veteran homelessness, chronic homelessness, and affordable housing. To join the conversation, follow #HawaiiHousingMonth or @HOPEServicesHawaii on Facebook throughout November.