Page 4 - MidWeek Kauai - Nov 10, 2021

4 KAUA‘I MIDWEEK NOVEMBER 10, 2021
help and stability.”
Families who stay at The
Shelter live in one of nine structures on the property (the other three are reserved for re- strooms and an on-site resident manager). These domes are like Hawai‘i-style igloos with 20 fiberglass panels layered over one another to create the exterior, and caulking between the gaps to keep the elements and bugs out. Each 12-foot-tall dome totals 314 square feet and measures 20 feet in diam- eter, making the living space more than accommodating, and mothers can decide how to configure the interior utilizing drywall dividers for privacy. (Communal restrooms and a kitchen area are located on the grounds, as well.)
“It’s a very architecturally sound design,” shares Kane- shiro. “It can withstand winds of up to 180 miles per hour.”
He likens the panels that make up each structure to stacklable Pringles pota- to chips — great for easy transport and construction/ deconstruction.
Led by executive director Daniel Kaneshiro, The Shelter is a welcome refuge for many homeless mothers looking for a home and a fresh start in life.
here’s a place in Ka- halu‘u where home- less single mothers go to find a safe space to rest and a community to help
nearly three dozen homeless mothers and their children have experienced long-term, positive change.
how many people leave to start new lives of their own. The Shelter staff — like program administrator Kaila Andrlik — works with city, state and HUD programs to help moms reach the milestone of finding permanent housing. But as a faith-based organization, it also aims to change hearts for the long haul, too.
“When we brought our 12 domes to Kahalu‘u, it all came in one shipping
container,” he recalls. “We can have two or three guys put up a dome in about two
For Stephanie Banks and her young son Jacob Hamilton, it’s a blessing that has turned into opportunities and a chance for a fresh start.
to three hours.”
Hawai‘i’s homeless situa-
them get back on their feet. It’s a place of second chances, a shelter in the time of storm.
Pastor Klayton Ko, president of the board of directors with The Shelter, stands at the transitional housing community’s dedication ceremony in Kahalu‘u in 2018. PHOTO COURTESY THE SHELTER
tion extends beyond O‘ahu, and The Shelter’s model makes it a great solution
Aptly named The Shelter, this place began as a church ministry of First Assembly of God at Red Hill in 2015, and has grown into a thriving transitional housing nonprofit that transforms lives. Thanks to years of collaboration be- tween county, state, city and community members, The Shelter opened its 12 pro- verbial “dome doors” on the grounds of First Assembly of God Windward Church in Kahalu‘u in 2018. Since then,
“God led me here,” says Banks, who’s been a resident at the Kahalu‘u site since Sep- tember. “You gotta feel like the Lord is leading you and looking out for you when he brings you here. I’m so blessed to be here, and I am learning so much being here. I love living at The Shelter.”
“Housing will always come and go, but it’s the transfor- mation of the heart that’s im- portant,” explains executive director Daniel Kaneshiro. “It’s not about having a nice home, it’s the heart and char- acter that we need to address to get to the core of homeless- ness. We want to help them be- come responsible citizens and parents, who don’t fall back into self-destructive behavior.
This is also why The Shelter is a no-drug, no-alcohol commu- nity, and all mothers that live there must be willing and able to work to support themselves and their young ones.
To date, The Shelter has seen 18 families move into their own apartments, and four others reconcile with their families. And those numbers keep changing.
for any community within the state — or even beyond — that has available land. Kaua‘i, for example, has an increasing problem with homelessness, and the com- munity has been searching for solutions that benefit all.
While families who tempo- rarily stay at The Shelter do indeed grow and thrive in the tight-knit community, the non- profit measures its success by
“We also teach them about spiritual values like forgive- ness,” Kaneshiro adds. “We have moms reconcile with their own moms; reconcile broken relationships that caused their homelessness.”
“A healthy stream flows, it’s not stagnant,” Kaneshiro continues. “Part of the success of the program is that there’s always moms moving in and out. It gives others an oppor- tunity to experience the same
“We have been following The Shelter project on O‘ahu for several years and are ex- cited about its results,” says Darryl Kua, senior pastor at Garden Island-based West-
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