At Neighborhood Place of Puna we serve some of the most vulnerable local families struggling to get by in our community. A majority of the clients we serve are at or below the poverty level and over half are Native Hawaiian. Since the Covid19 outbreak, we have ramped up hygiene measures at our family shelter and in-home outreach programs. We know that already 1/5th of our community is experiencing financial impacts from the virus. We are committed to uplifting our Puna community and supporting families in raising safe and healthy children. Your donation supports our Family Assessment Center and Emergency Family Shelter as well as our direct service in-home programs, as we strive to effectively support families safely following best COVID-19 health practices. This includes expanding the use of technology to remain connected to the many isolated families in Puna who rely on Neighborhood Place of Puna. Funds may also be used to support families impacted financially by Covid19 and to continue operation of programs.

Ending Family Homelessness

In the summer of 2019 Neighborhood Place of Puna was blessed to work in partnership with partner agencies, faith community and government to open the first and only family shelter in Puna. Hale ‘Iki Family Assessment Center has nine units of small homes with four beds each. This housing first facility temporarily supports families experiencing homelessness with shelter and other supports like housing navigation to help end family homelessness in East Hawai’i.

Neighborhood Place of Puna is committed to ensuring that no family – and certainly no child – experiences homelessness in Hawaii County.

Homelessness can have lifelong negative developmental and health impacts on a child. Children who experience homelessness are more vulnerable to child abuse and neglect. The longer a child remains homeless, the more bleak the outcome. Children raised in persistent poverty, including periods of homelessness, are less likely to finish school. They are at higher risk for incarceration, teen pregnancy/parenthood, substance abuse, and a life of poverty.

Neighborhood Place of Puna believes that we can end family homelessness in Hawaii County and that doing so is a moral imperative!

To this end:

1. We work directly with homelessness families to connect them with emergency shelter, permanent housing, and the supports they need to remain housed.
2. We work with local churches to provide emergency short term shelter and support to homeless families who have nowhere else to go.
3. We work with the Faith Community, businesses, and Social Welfare groups to address the lack of affordable housing for families.
4. We work to address the underlying causes of family homelessness and poverty.

Neighborhood Place of Puna needs your help. Please consider a donation to support our homeless families, and the work that we do to ensure that that no child has to experience homelessness.

If you or a family you know are experiencing homelessness contact us at 965-5550 to see if we can support you with housing or family strengthening services.

More about Hawai’i and U.S. Homelessness

Honolulu Civil Beat Poverty persists among Hawaiians despite low unemployment

Splinter News They were there first, but now Native Hawaiians have nowhere to live

Daily Mail Homelessness in Hawaii has grown so fast that the eighth-smallest state in U.S. has the nation’s highest homeless rate per capita

Star Advertiser HUD: Hawaii still No. 1 in per capita homeless

Download the Aloha United Way’s ALICE Report. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income, Constrained, Employed.

Listen to Terri Gross’ April 12, 2018  interview with Pulitzer Prize winning author Mathew Desmond as they discuss America’s Eviction Crisis.

Download a simple graphic about the 2018 cost of housing in Hawaii Count.

Download the Touchpoints of Homelessness Report, which looks at Homelessness in Hawaii.

Donate to NPP

Make a monthly or one-time donation to Neighborhood Place of Puna. Your support helps us to build strong, healthy families in your community.

East Hawaii Family Strengthening Program

Neighborhood Place of Puna is committed to the well-being and success of families and children. We strive to help families develop the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to raise their children in safe, stable, and nurturing homes.

Our Family Strengthening Program provides intensive, on-going, in-home services to families with under-age children. Often families enroll in our program because they are in crisis. Sometimes that crisis is an unexpected pregnancy. Or it could be a child that is constantly “acting out.”  Or it might be that the stress and insecurity of poverty have made parenting unmanageable.

Our program staff work with families wherever they call home. This might be an apartment, a park, an unpermitted dwelling, a car, or an emergency shelter like Hale ‘Iki. Our program services are tailored to address each family’s unique needs. Sometimes a family’s needs are very concrete. They just need stable housing. Other times there are complex family issues that require Neighborhood Place of Puna staff to provide ongoing coaching, parental education, advocacy, and referrals to additional professional services.

Families living in Puna and South Hilo can access Neighborhood Place of Puna’s free and voluntary services whenever they need help.

Would you or a love one like to participate in family strengthening services? Email family@neighborhoodplace.org

You can help Hawaii families. Please consider a donation to support our local families in their efforts to raise safe and healthy children.

Download the Family Outreach Referral Form

Neighborhood Place of Puna’s Disaster Case Management program assists in the recovery of those affected by the 2018 Kilauea eruption.

Have you suffered job loss, loss of wages, home loss, increased rent, or psychological trauma due to the 2018 Kilauea eruption? Neighborhood Place of Puna is collaborating with FEMA, County of Hawai’i and other agencies to provide referrals and support to aid healing for those recently impacted by lava on the Big Island. Contact (808)965-5550 or disaster@neighborhoodplace.org for assistance.

Neighborhood Place of Puna is also looking for contractors to assist in providing estimates for home repairs. Call (808)965-5550 or email disaster@neighborhoodplacr.org to support our program.