Page 21 - MidWeek - Nov 3, 2021

A Shelter In The Time Of Storm
FROM PAGE 16
NOVEMBER 3, 2021 MIDWEEK 21
homelessness.”
To date, The Shelter has seen
18 families move into their own apartments, and four others rec- oncile with their families. And those numbers keep changing.
After a successful couple of years at its Kahalu‘u location, The Shelter is looking to touch more lives. It invites the community to celebrate during a virtual fund- raiser — “Hearts & Homes II: The Success Continues ...” — slated for 7 p.m. Nov. 13.
“Now, the money we’re hop- ing to raise will help us with op- erations,” says executive director Daniel Kaneshiro. “We also have farmland right next to our Kaha- lu‘u property, and we’re working on a farm project so we can be self-sustaining.”
Monies will also go toward purchasing additional domes ($10,000-$12,000), as well as helping The Shelter expand its services to the Wai‘anae Coast.
“Hopefully there’s a potential site for us to multiply The Shel- ter’s concept where there’s an even greater need,” adds chair- man of the board Pastor Klayton Ko.
Michael W. Perry hosts the eve- ning, and those who tune in will hear testimonies of moms who have successfully found perma- nent housing for themselves and their families, as well as a rap song from a teen at The Shelter.
“We asked for $21 a month in 2021, and we’re kicking off $22 a month in 2022,” says Kaneshi- ro, who also adds that corporate sponsors and church partners are welcome to lend a hand, too.
Learn how to donate and par- ticipating online at theshelter.org, or find the nonprofit on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
“A healthy stream flows, it’s not stagnant,” Kaneshiro contin- ues. “Part of the success of the program is that there’s always moms moving in and out. It gives others an opportunity to experi- ence the same help and stability.”
Families who stay at The Shel- ter live in one of nine structures on the property (the other three are reserved for restrooms and an on-site resident manager). These domes are like Hawai‘i-style ig- loos with 20 fiberglass panels lay- ered 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 mea- sures 20 feet in diameter, making the living space more than ac- commodating, and mothers can decide how to configure the inte- rior utilizing drywall dividers for privacy. (Communal restrooms and a kitchen area are located on the grounds, as well.)
(Above) Megan Riddle and her child Neo Oamilda have been at The Shelter since July.
(Left) Executive director Daniel Kaneshiro says domes at The Shelter are built well, and are capable of withstanding winds up to 180 mph.
children off the streets,” says pastor Klayton Ko, president of the board of directors and found- er of The Shelter concept. “My heart breaks when I think about the children who are battling the elements. I feel like it’s such a burden on these kids who just want to have a better life.”
Program administrator Kaila Andrlik and executive director Daniel Kaneshiro stand at the future gardening project site that will help The Shelter become self-sustaining.
“It’s a very architecturally sound design,” shares Kaneshiro. “It can withstand winds of up to 180 miles per hour.”
problem with homelessness, and the community has been search- ing for solutions that benefit all.
Shelter, to ex- pand and help wherever it’s needed to support the state’s most vulnerable pop- ulation: the keiki.
He likens the panels that make up each structure to stacklable Pringles potato chips — great for easy transport and construction/ deconstruction.
“To break the cycle of home- lessness, you have to get the
“When we brought our 12 domes to Kahalu‘u, it all came in one shipping container,” he re- calls. “We can have two or three guys put up a dome in about two to three hours.”
“We have been following The Shelter project on O‘ahu for several years and are excited about its results,” says Darryl Kua, senior pastor at Garden Island-based Westside Christian Center Assembly of God. “Rath- er than reinventing the wheel, we have decided to partner with The Shelter and expand their model to benefit Kaua‘i.”
Hawai‘i’s homeless situation extends beyond O‘ahu, and The Shelter’s model makes it a great solution for any community with- in the state — or even beyond — that has available land. Kaua‘i, for example, has an increasing
Now, the church is in the ear- ly stages of procuring a permit through its county to make The Shelter on the Garden Isle a re- ality.
And that’s the vision of The