WAIKIKI HOMELESS OUTREACH INITIATIVE OFF TO A STRONG START

New tools become part of the mix in developing solutions to Waikiki’s homeless situation

News Release from IHS March 9, 2015

HONOLULU – The Institute for Human Services (IHS) is serving 81 former homeless individuals to remain off the streets of Waikiki. Of that number, 25 are in shelter; 43 are receiving homeless prevention assistance; seven were placed directly into housing; and another six have been assisted with airline funds which have enabled them to be reconnected with families in the U.S. mainland to ensure they arrive to a safe home. Another 42 current Waikiki homeless have also been qualified for housing programs and are awaiting placement.

The IHS Homeless Outreach Initiative began in November 2014. Since then, the outreach staff of four continues to offer daily services to unsheltered Waikiki homeless individuals. Each month, the team has observed many homeless coming in and out of the area. The outreach team is connecting them to housing, healthcare and employment services in the field (versus at the shelter). Currently, IHS outreach staff is serving 89 additional unsheltered Waikiki homeless clients at various stages of engagement.

Adding to the mix of services, IHS is launching its’ second wave of intensive outreach services – Food and Shower Transport (F.A.S.T. Shuttle) – a 25-passenger shuttle bus transporting unsheltered clients to IHS to access services.

IHS Executive Director, Connie Mitchell stated “a significant barrier to ending homelessness is basic access to services. F.A.S.T. Shuttle now provides direct access by transporting homeless to IHS shelters for three hours, three times a week. While at IHS, clients connect with personnel from housing, employment and health clinics. At the same time, they leave with a positive experience after having received a free meal, a hot shower, clean towels, hygiene kits, new clothes and warm hospitality. Overall, it’s been a positive experience that has changed preconceptions of the shelter for those who have come to IHS thus far.”

Outreach workers issue a voucher to each client boarding the F.A.S.T Shuttle. The voucher identifies pick-up times at three locations – Waikiki Shell parking lot, St. Augustine’s Church, and Ala Moana Beach Park. Since F.A.S.T. Shuttle soft launched on February 20th , 28-unduplicated individuals has taken advantage of the new service and six of those clients have since chosen to stay at an IHS shelter. Several F.A.S.T. Shuttle clients have continued to visit IHS as frequently as possible.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell lauded the new service in a statement saying, "The Institute for Human Services has been a key partner in helping people experiencing homelessness on Oahu get the help they need to turn their lives around. The visitor industry has stepped up as well, contributing money to help keep a public restroom open 24/7 on Kuhio Beach and helping to fund IHS' ramped-up outreach efforts, most recently the Food and Shower Transport. This service brings people who are in Waikiki without housing to a place of shelter, serves them meals, and provides hygiene facilities and a bed to sleep in every day of the week. FAST is a powerful new tool in a multi-faceted approach to substantively address homelessness in Waikiki and it's already making a big difference."

As part of the Waikiki Homeless Outreach Initiative, IHS will also be launching a monthly outreach service center in Moiliili in April 2015 at St. Mary’s Church. The service center is in partnership with the Hawaii Foodbank, Waikiki Health’s Care-A-Van program, Action with Aloha, and Legal Aid. Concurrently, the Hotel Association will be hosting a fundraiser at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Grand Lawn on May 9, 2015 with a million dollar goal to raise the remaining funds needed to continue these services throughout 2015 and 2016.

“We are thrilled to see that the Waikiki Homeless Outreach Initiative is really making a difference for those in need throughout the Waikiki community,” said Jerry Gibson, Area Vice President of Hilton Hawaii, “As momentum continues, the entire visitor industry looks forward to helping even more individuals improve their lives and making Waikiki a better place to live, work and enjoy. More importantly, we are grateful that these tools have the potential to be a model that can be replicated for other communities throughout Hawaii.”

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About IHS, The Institute for Human Services, Inc.:

IHS is Hawaii’s oldest, largest and most comprehensive homeless service provider that is working to end and prevent homelessness on Oahu. As an emergency shelter, IHS stabilizes homeless individuals and families by assessing and triaging their core reasons for becoming homeless. The organization then delivers an array of services that qualifies them to obtain and maintain a home and live a sustainable lifestyle. Its services include emergency shelter, daily meals and food programs, healthcare, case management, employment, children enrichment, housing and homeless outreach. As a housing-focused non-profit agency, IHS works with various government and private sector programs to qualify and place on average 1,500 each year into housing programs. For more information, please visit: www.ihshawaii.org