by
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, covers nine regions on Hawaii island and helps housing leaders develop a snapshot of how to effectively assist people experiencing homelessness with finding permanent housing. Counts also take place on Kauai, Maui and Oahu.
Assisting with the survey this year were more than 50 volunteers from a range of agencies and service providers, led by Hope Services Hawaii. The nonprofit affiliate organization of the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii organized the five-day count, which featured two shifts every day — 5-8:30 a.m. and 5-8:30 p.m.
Assessing needs
Armed with clipboards and pens, the surveyors worked in teams, canvassing beaches, parks, overgrown woods, abandoned tunnels and parking lots in a coordinated search for individuals or families who are living unsheltered.
Each encounter lasted 15 minutes, during which the surveyors asked two primary questions: Where the individuals or families slept on Jan. 26, and if they need assistance. The teams then followed up with more specific demographic questions, noting any contributing factors to a person’s houseless status — such as mental illness, drug use, abuse, job loss, health disability or natural disaster.
They also tracked ages, whether the individuals have relocated and if they have been arrested.
The teams assessed the needs of each person they encountered. A vehicle parked nearby held a trunkful of supplies including toiletries, blankets, food and other essential items; surveyors would provide individuals with paper grocery bags filled with necessities.
The brief encounters also allowed the Hope Services Hawaii staff to connect individuals with the nonprofit organization and to highlight its outreach services.
After their shifts, the surveyors’ data were entered into the Homeless Management Information System used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as state and local agencies to create accurate reports that will be used to develop policies for people who are unsheltered. The management system helps ensure there are no data duplications.
Important task
According to Carrie Ho‘opi‘i, director of outreach and interim case management for Hope Services Hawaii, this survey helps the organization determine the best strategies to support people seeking permanent housing.
“Participating in the point-in-time-count is important to all who participated,” Ho‘opi‘i said. “It is our shared responsibility to ensure every person experiencing homelessness is seen, counted and represented so we can better meet individual needs, expand meaningful services and advocate for increased resources our communities truly deserve.”
Kahi Santos, a housing navigator for Hope Services Hawaii, helped drive a sport utility vehicle on one of the routes during the count. She regularly serves people living in remote areas and has also developed relationships with the people she now knows as members in her community.
From her experience, Santos can readily spot parents living in their car while working full-time jobs. She also knows brush-covered locations hidden near tourist locations where people who are unsheltered can access food and care, yet remain unseen. With discretion, she offers them bags filled with supplies and connects them with services to get them safe and back in housing.
“They each have individual stories,” she said.
Experts in care
In addition to operating six shelters on Hawaii island’s east and west coasts, Hope Services Hawaii offers disaster relief, case management, clinical programs, homelessness prevention and diversion, and outreach programs that also benefit veterans, elderly clients, families and people who have experienced abuse.
The agency’s housing navigators are experts in identifying hidden spaces where people live — in tunnels, in wooded areas and on beaches, with many sites near high-traffic downtown spaces. The navigators also are adept at spotting people living in their cars (who often work during the day) because they have spent countless hours working to fulfill Hope Services Hawaii’s mission of making “homelessness on Hawaii Island rare, brief and non-recurring.”
Caring for people who are unsheltered is a formidable assignment for Hope Services Hawaii, and the agency’s mission is not easy in a time when housing costs, food bills and medical expenses are skyrocketing each month.
“Sometimes, they have to choose between medicine or food,” said Ho‘opi‘i, who canvassed in the Hilo count in the morning and Kona in the evening. “That is how their health declines, because they are going to choose food over medication.”
Stephen Chiodo, Hope Services Hawaii’s permanent supportive housing team leader for Hawaii island, knows many of the people who visit the agency by name and greets them like the longtime friends they have become.
“I’m in housing, and I know that we can make a difference every day,” he said. “But also, I see the other side of that, where people fall into homelessness really quickly now.”
Hope Services Hawaii will report the results of the homeless point-in-time count as soon as the final counts are submitted and analyzed, a process that normally takes several months.
At top: Above, Kahi Santos, left, Stephen Chiodo and Carrie Ho‘opi‘i took part Jan. 26 in the annual homeless point-in-time count on Hawaii island. They embarked on their shift in Kona. Below: Santos, left, Chiodo and Carrie Ho‘opi‘i convened during their shift for the point-in-time count. (Photos by Lisa Dahm / Hawaii Catholic Herald)