Volunteer Brian helps IHS with everything from 5k races to data entry! He's the best!

Author: Kate Record

Volunteers are an essential part of IHS, and have been from the early days with our founder, Fr. Claude Du Teil. We’re blessed with hundreds of dedicated individual volunteers and even more groups that assist us on a daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly basis. One volunteer that has been giving generously of himself for years is Brian.

Brian has been volunteering and helping not only myself, but the entire Development Department for almost four years now. Working full time as a Critical Care RN, he often comes to IHS in the morning after an overnight shift, with a cup of coffee in his hand and toting along a delicious snack to share with the team. He is personable, professional, and he has become our family. I asked Brian earlier this week if I could interview him and share some of his story on our blog, and he graciously agreed.

Q&A with Brian H.

Kate: How did you hear about IHS?

Brian: “I was searching for a way to give back and started browsing the internet for a way to help with hunger. I found several interesting things online, but IHS kept coming up over and over again. I liked the mission and intent of the organization, and they seemed to be doing good things, so I applied.”

Kate: What did you apply to do? 

Brian: “I was open to a variety of things – at the time I didn’t know what it was like to volunteer in a homeless shelter. I was open to doing anything from food service to reading to kids to simple filing.”

Kate: What do you do when you’re not volunteering at IHS?

Brian: “I enjoy being an ICU nurse and love participating in ocean and mountain activities like scuba diving and hiking. I try to travel as much as possible and I LOVE to eat out!”

Kate: What do you do as an IHS volunteer? 

Brian: “A little bit of everything, which fits my personality well. My nature is variety, so I enjoy where I fell in IHS (the Development Department). I do everything from organizing donations to date entry and helping to run various events.”

Kate: What have you enjoyed the most about volunteering? 

Brian: “I like seeing the community feel of the bigger IHS events, like the 30^th anniversary gala, participating in the HIM conference, and helping with various races. The quieter side of me also has enjoyed being in an office and helping with organizing.” 

Kate: What keeps you coming back to IHS?

Brian: “The people that work here keep me coming back, and knowing that the people that are here make a difference daily to those in need on the island. People work here knowing that they could make more money elsewhere, yet they still come here because they know that they’re really making a difference in their jobs. It reminds me of my Catholic school teachers growing up – they sacrificed because they wanted to make a difference.” 

Thank you, Brian, for your years of service to IHS. We love you!

Punahou students Kimi Lyn Goshi (left) and Nicole Kamiya (right) collected over 20 bags of bedding and gently used towels for IHS!

Author: Kate Record

Homelessness is everywhere in Hawaii, and at times it can certainly seem overwhelming. Every day, I talk to people who want to help, but just don’t know what to do. That’s where we come in.

There is no shortage of things that you can do to help end homelessness and to help IHS in our quest to end homelessness in Hawaii — share information with others, contribute financially, volunteer, interact with us on social media, and help conduct a drive.

Conducting a drive for IHS is easy, fun, and very rewarding. It’s a great way to help teach kids about homelessness and to assist them with obtaining service hours while giving back to the community at the same time. Here at IHS, we usually ask that volunteers be 15 years or older, which limits the interactions that younger kids can have at the actual shelter/service centers, but anyone of ANY age can help conduct a drive. We are always in need of non-perishable food, gently used or new clothing, toiletries (like shampoo and conditioner), shoes, towels, and bedding. Usually when guests come to IHS, they don’t have things like a toothbrush or an extra pair of shoes with them — so they rely on us to assist with those items. We, in turn, rely on you — our community — to help provide them for our Ohana here at IHS.

Students from Mid-Pac collected gently used clothing for IHS and took a field trip to the shelter to drop them off!

IHS has a variety of resources available to help you with your drive, from a comprehensive coordinator’s toolkit and community drive registration form to customizable grocery lists and thank you notes. We’ve had everyone from pre-school groups to senior clubs coordinate drives for IHS – and we appreciate each and every one of your donations. You can ask a grocery store if they’d allow you to set up a table outside of their shop one Saturday morning, and invite patrons to pick up an extra can of soup or bag of rice while they’re shopping for IHS. Or, you can set up a week in your office when you invite your coworkers to bring in tubes of toothpaste, bottles of shampoo, and bars of soap for IHS. Even just taking an afternoon to clean out your closet and then donating your unwanted clothing to the shelter can make a world of difference. As an added bonus, you’ll have some extra room in your home!

If you’d like to help IHS by conducting a drive, click here to download our toolkit and get started, and feel free to email drives@ihs-hawaii.org with any questions.

Children enjoy doing cartwheels during a Summer Fun outing

Do you remember the days of summer as a child? Maybe the days were filled with camps, friendships, and excursions with family, or even trips off-island. Summer days are special, sacred times to build memories and realize dreams.

Every child should have the opportunity to experience the delight that summer brings – even those that are homeless. These children deserve hope in reaching for the summit. Here at IHS, we’re taking steps to ensure a growth experience for kids of all ages this summer through our third annual Summer Fun Program.

But we need your help!

Without your generosity, these special children may never have the opportunity to experience the freedom and innocence of childhood. YOU can ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’ (Ghandi), and get involved through sponsoring a child for just $325.

The theme of the 2012 Summer Fun program at IHS is “A World of Possibilities”. Approximately 50 homeless or at risk pre-school and school aged children (K-8) and Junior Leaders (9-12) will participate in this life changing program throughout the month of June.

The children will go on excursions and participate in projects designed to increase environmental responsibility and to help them understand their impact on our precious aina, while offering a safe place to explore and grow mentally, emotionally, and socially. The Monday through Friday program will include teambuilding experiences, hands-on activities in our Urban Garden, adventures around the island, and service projects that will build a sense of community and self-esteem that will open doors to a world of possibilities.

Why should I sponsor a child?

Your sponsorship will help to underwrite the overall costs of this program for one child, and provide a once in a lifetime experience for him or her.

Additionally, there will be a celebration at the culmination of this program, which all sponsors are welcome to attend. We invite you to see firsthand the tremendous impact that the program has not only on the children, but also on the community as a whole.

Please join our team and be a part of a child’s journey!*

I want to contribute, but I cannot afford a sponsorship. How can I help?

Even the smallest contributions will impact the lives of our children in the most positive ways. If sponsorship is not an option, Please consider ”adopting” any of the following below. And we would also like to extend a very special invitation to our celebration event giving you the opportunity to discover just how meaningful your contribution was while connecting with your community and building stronger foundational ties. Or, if you’d like to donate an item from our wish list, or to inquire about volunteering your time to help with summer fun, we welcome that as well. If you’d like to share this information with a friend that doesn’t have computer access, feel free to download our brochure!

Adopt a: Tide Pool Explorer
Cost: $10.00
Value: Opening the eyes of delight and discovery for a child in the amazing world of science.

Adopt a: Litter Detective
Cost: $20.00
Value: The creation of a cleaner paradise while a child establishes a sense of stewardship for our community and learns to care for the earth.

Adopt a: Child Photojournalist
Cost: $30.00
Value: Enabling a child to create a journal to archive summer fun memories forever.

Adopt a: Day Adventurer
Cost: $50.00
Value: Gifting a child with an educational, enriching, and exciting day trip. For some this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Sponsorships

Adopt a Tide Pool Explorer $10.00 Adopt a Litter Detective $20.00 Adopt a Child Photojournalist $30.00 Adopt a Day Adventurer $50.00

Any amount is appreciated and will go a long way*

Share a: Thought or Idea
Cost: NONE
Value: PRICELESS

Here at IHS we are always looking for diverse ways to expand the minds of our children through both education and cultivating their imagination –two prerequisites for capable, strong, and successful young adults. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Please feel free to e-mail our Children’s Program Coordinator with your fondest summertime moments and/or your most valuable learning experiences for us to consider.

*Any remaining funds from Summer Fun expenses will be applied to educational and enrichment activities solely for our children throughout the remainder of the year and into our next Summer program.

… of a long journey home. Helping people who have been on the streets of Honolulu for a long time to finally get the treatment and stable housing they need is a real “high” for us at IHS. Whenever someone gets a job or finds housing, we celebrate. But when it’s someone who’s spent years on the street because of serious mental illness, it’s even greater cause for celebration.

A chronically homeless person with serious mental illness has a lot of hurdles to overcome in order to achieve stable housing:

-She needs to trust someone enough to receive help.
-She needs help with transportation to a mental health provider, or for someone to bring one to her.
-She needs an ID … to apply for health insurance to get treatment.
-She needs to choose an insurance coverage that will cover the person who outreached her, or she will need to be turned over to someone else and try to develop a relationship of trust all over again.
-She needs a family member or a legal guardian who is willing to take some responsibility for authorizing treatment if she is incapable of making that decision.
-She needs a physician or nurse who is willing to take the time to explain how medications can help her.
-She needs caring police officers that can provide the support and structure for her to move toward the treatment she needs.
-She needs a health care system that will pay for her treatment if she is unable to pay.
-Then she needs a landlord with a unit that will pass inspection who will accept someone who has been longtime homeless.
-She will also likely need a housing subsidy and help to get settled in an apartment. Having some assistance with furniture and basic household items sure makes a place feel more like home.

How can you help? Please consider these actions:

1. When you see someone who needs help, let us know by calling or emailing IHS Outreach at 447-2903 / outreach@ihs-hawaii.org. We can’t help everyone; but your call is the first step toward hope.
2. If you are a landlord, please consider renting to one of our special guests. Our Shelter Plus Care Program, which aims to serve the chronically homeless with disabilities, pays market rent. But we need your compassion to open the door.

For more information please call or email us at info@ihs-hawaii.org.

Today was an exceptional day, even by IHS standards, where everyday is filled with miracles. Among the activities of the day were three special events which demonstrated the incredibly generosity of the community toward those in need.

Women's Legislative Caucus with Gov Abercrombie

In the afternoon, the Women’s Legislative Caucus held their annual Easter Basket Drive, which collects essential items for guests of IHS. Last year’s theme, “Welcome Home Easter Baskets,” which helped individuals start off on the right foot when moving from being homeless to having a permanent home, was so successful that they continued the theme this year. Governor Abercrombie just happened to come by as the baskets were being collected and joined the festivities at the State Capitol. IHS Executive Director Connie Mitchell shared words of gratitude with the legislative leaders for their generosity. Special mahalo to Sen. Rosalyn Baker & Rep. Marilyn Lee who coordinated the project. Awesome!

Lisa Yoshikawa, Connie Mitchell and Ian Fitz-Patrick

Later in the afternoon, Lisa Yoshikawa and IHS Board Member Ian Fitz-Patrick, both of Merrill Lynch, dropped off some 116 toiletry sets plus clothing for the benefit of IHS guests. This was the fruit of their labors at a bake sale which Lisa spearheaded for Merrill Lynch just recently.

Our next special visit of the day was by members of the Pilot Club of Honolulu. They came by with 60 treat bags for the children. Members present included: Janis Akuna, Merrily Burns (President), Paige Onishi, Nancy McDonald, Marti Rounds, and Michelle Rupert (President-Elect). They are pictured below with Angela Dumais, the IHS Children’s Program Coordinator.

Pilot Club of Honolulu

Mahalo to all of our generous benefactors! Your compassion touches and transforms hearts everyday.

The Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP) provides homelessness prevention assistance to households who would otherwise become homeless, mainly due to the current economic crisis. IHS, The Institute for Human Services, has just received additional funding to assist more families. Money is available for working families to help with utilities, security deposits, overdue rent or first month’s rent, for example. Case managers work with families in assisting them with personalized programs that may include financial literacy and counseling. For more information and to apply for the IHS HPRP, please call IHS at 447-2863 and leave a message.

Minda Golez, Director of IHS’ Housing and Employment Programs, offers a video introduction to HPRP:

For more videos on IHS see our YouTube channel.

TK lived with his mother his entire life through the age of 45. She did everything for him and necessity never made TK do any work because he had Social Security Disability Survivor benefits. So TK never learned basic independent living skills. In many ways he was an immature child trapped in a grownup’s body. He was quite simply underdeveloped and unmanageable.

Over time TK saw everything he loved slowly pass as his mother struggled against dementia during her final years.

You see, he didn’t know how to manage his mother’s condition so he turned to the bottle and let alcohol fuel his anger. His inflamed tirades lead to repeated periods of incarceration for criminal threatening behavior. His outbursts were initially directed at his immediate family. When they would no longer communicate with him, he attempted to purchase attention and physical affection from prostitutes and escort agencies. But even those immersed in the darker side of life found TK’s violent and threatening outbursts too unmanageable.

He burnt bridges with whomever he came in contact. When his mother passed he had nothing left. So he ran away from the ashes of his old life and sought refuge in Hawaii. But TK found that his criminal footprints followed him where ever he tried to hide. He could not escape his mistakes. Homeless destitution puts a mirror to your past. No matter how much you look forward, all you will see are the mistakes behind you.

So TK took an honest look in the mirror and accepted that the only person responsible for managing his situation was staring back at him.

Just 3 months later TK has been paroled from his self-imposed purgatory. He has completed a substance abuse treatment program, attended anger management classes and moved out of the emergency shelter into his own clean and sober studio apartment. TK worked with case management with great humility and accepted the help he needed. His disability benefits have been reinstated and are managed by a representative payee who also serves as his substance abuse counselor.

A mother’s greatest fear for her disabled child is “what will happen when she’s gone?” Let’s hope the spirit of TK’s mother is at rest and she no longer fears for him. Necessity has taken on parenting of TK and he has grown to prove himself MAN-AGE- ABLE.

When I was a sergeant in the Marines, I used to believe that we pick up where parents leave off. Now, as a case manager for those that are homeless,  I see the same thing.

Leslie Mullens, facilitator, giving an overview of the State Plan to End Homelessness in Hawaii

Author:  Connie Mitchell

Now that  a draft of the State’s Plan to End Homeless has been unveiled through several community meetings, it remains to be seen whether the people responsible for systems change will see through the Governor’s commitment to make those changes happen so that people who are homeless or on the brink of homelessness will find it easier to access the help they need.

The plan is comprehensive and covers everything from changing the system to be more responsive in times of crisis to integrating behavioral health and primary care services to creating an environment that encourages economic opportunity and support for those that need it and finally the pink elephant in the room:  expanding our inventory of housing for those with fewer resources in our community.

Many of the strategies cited have been suggested before.  Political will and the ability to orchestrate these actions steps are what will make or break this commendable effort to get all sectors of our community working together.  IHS is throwing its energies behind it and invite others to do the same.  Our collective future quality of life is at stake.

Photo courtesy of JSDavis82

Members of our team conduct regular intensive ‘rounds’ in urban Honolulu to the homeless. They begin with simply building relationships to establish trust and meeting immediate medical needs. They facilitate access to medications and treatment, employment and training, housing, substance abuse treatment and a permanent address to receive mail. While the team focuses on the most vulnerable and those that are chronically homeless, any person in need is eligible for assistance.

Finally, once someone achieves the final goal of obtaining housing, the IHS outreach specialists provide vital case management to the newly housed clients through collaboration with housing specialists and, most importantly, to landlords and property managers.

IHS Outreach services can be reached by calling 447-2903 or by email at IHSoutreach@ihs-hawaii.org

Coming up on Wed., March 28, 2012, Governor’s Acting State Homeless Coordinator Lynn Heirakuji will be seeking public feedback at a open forum at Central Union Church from 10 a.m. to noon. This is an excellent opportunity for members of the public to weigh in on whether they think the direction presented in the State Plan meets muster and to express their concerns about what might hinder success and also what could support implementation.

For all who want to be a part of the solution for Oahu’s homeless, please go and let your voice be heard!