Page 6 - Hawaii Island MidWeek- Nov 10, 2021

6 HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK NOVEMBER 10, 2021
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 Kahalu‘u where homeless single mothers go to find a safe space to rest and a commu- nity to help them get back on their feet. It’s a place of second chances, a shelter in the time of storm.
ber. “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.”
Aptly named The Shelter, this place be- gan as a church ministry of First Assembly of God at Red Hill in 2015, and has grown into a thriving transitional housing nonprof- it that transforms lives. Thanks to years of collaboration between county, state, city and community members, The Shelter opened its 12 proverbial “dome doors” on the grounds of First Assembly of God Windward Church in Kahalu‘u in 2018. Since then, nearly three dozen homeless mothers and their children have experienced long-term, positive change.
While families who temporarily stay at The Shelter do indeed grow and thrive in the tight-knit community, the nonprofit measures its success by 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 or- ganization, it also aims to change hearts for the long haul, too.
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.
“Housing will always come and go, but it’s the transformation of the heart that’s im- portant,” explains executive director Dan- iel Kaneshiro. “It’s not about having a nice home, it’s the heart and character that we need to address to get to the core of homelessness. We want to help them become responsible citizens and parents, who don’t fall back into
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
“God led me here,” says Banks, who’s been a resident at the Kahalu‘u site since Septem-
self-destructive behavior. This is also why The Shelter is a no-drug, no-alcohol com- munity, and all mothers that live there must be willing and able to work to support them- selves and their young ones.
“We also teach them about spiritual values like forgiveness,” Kaneshiro adds. “We have moms reconcile with their own moms; rec- oncile broken relationships that caused their
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