Family Promise of Hawai‘i is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, part of a nationwide network of local affiliates dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness for children and their families. Please give us an overview.

We keep families together in their time of need by serving families of all sizes, from single parents to multigenerational households, providing holistic services that help families transition from homelessness to long-term housing stability. Our interim housing program provides free, short-term emergency shelter. Each family has its own room — this “noncongregate” shelter model affords families privacy, safety and dignity. We currently have space for up to 12 families at a time across four sites on Oahu, with plans to add two additional sites and increase capacity to 28 families by the end of the year.

We provide a range of emergency rental assistance on Oahu, accommodating a range of circumstances, from families who need just one month of rent to those who, because of a disability, need ongoing assistance to remain housed. Case management is at the core of all our programs. We provide individualized assistance to each family to understand their unique challenges, connect them with community resources, and, together with the family, create a solution that enables long-term housing stability. We also offer education on personal finances and help families find jobs or increase their income. We recently expanded case management services to assist Maui families impacted by the 2023 wildfires.

Last year, we served over 200 families — including over 700 individual children, parents and family members. This year, we are on track to serve twice as many. The vast majority of families we serve go directly into stable housing. We are part of a national network, but our organization is completely independent, and all fundraising is through our own efforts. To serve more families, our budget has grown to about $3 million this year.

You have described family homelessness as “one of Hawaii’s most urgent challenges.” Why?

Children under age 1 are more likely to experience homelessness than people of any other age, according to federal research, followed by children ages 1 to 5. One in 30 young children in Hawaii experience homelessness annually: This is an urgent challenge not only because every child should have a safe and stable place to call home, but also because of the lasting consequences. Homelessness can have long-term impacts for young children, because it affects them when their brains are developing most rapidly. Results can include poorer educational outcomes, social-emotional challenges, chronic physical and mental health conditions, and long-term economic repercussions — all with real costs for our community.

Long-term solutions to homelessness must begin with addressing child homelessness. When we create the conditions in which even the most vulnerable children can thrive, we uplift families and strengthen entire communities.

The surge in homelessness that followed August’s deadly Lahaina fire prompted Family Promise to expand services. Tell us more.

We started receiving calls from Maui families seeking assistance almost immediately after the August 2023 wildfires. We began by helping families on an individual basis, and worked with local, state and federal partners to create a dedicated, Maui-based case management team of six. Two more case managers start this month, and we have long-term plans to grow our presence. One of the most difficult challenges is helping families navigate the complex web of public and private assistance programs. Our team advocates for families to ensure they access all resources available.

Is there a “typical” family in need of shelter, or are there common reasons that families in Hawaii find themselves without a permanent home, or on the verge of losing a home?

Families experiencing homelessness are often less visible because they want to protect their children. Someone you see every day may not have stable housing, and you might never know.

One commonality is that families desperately seeking safe, stable housing simply cannot find a place that is affordable. Many families, especially those with young children, are on the economic brink, even if they are employed, including many entering our programs. Hawaii’s wage needed to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment is nearly $42 per hour, and for every 100 low-income families in Hawaii, there are fewer than 40 housing units affordable to them, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

What are the toughest problems facing Family Promise?

Our waitlist is growing every day, and so our biggest challenge is to quickly marshal the resources to grow our programs and address families’ immediate needs. We have proven solutions that, with additional funding, can be quickly scaled up, and we are committed to expanding direct services and supporting systemic efforts to address the causes of family homelessness — above all, housing affordability.

Over the years, we have been able to serve more families and increase effectiveness by weaving together new funding sources from the city, state and federal governments, as well as support from foundations, donors and corporate sponsors. Support is crucial, because family homelessness has been growing faster than homelessness overall.