Neighborhood Place of Puna

Neighborhood Place of Puna works with diverse families in East Hawai’i. While our community is diverse, we know that a disproportionate number of families we work with are Native Hawaiian. A lot of research has been conducted on the effectiveness of programs rooted in Hawaiian cultural values, especially in healing …

  In the past several days we have seen staggering demonstrations within U.S. mainland cities as communities rise up to protest racism and police violence. These recent events have added stress to our communities during an already stressful pandemic. Recently we wrote about Mental Health Awareness Month and we encouraged …

Mental Health Awareness Month  Preventing Anxiety and Trauma in Keiki   During the pandemic children and families all around the world are experiencing increased risk of stress and fear. Although stay-at-home orders are being lifted, we know that the risk for contracting COVID-19 is not gone. ‘Ohanas and individuals must …

Aloha Friends, As legislators prepare for a brief legislative budgeting session beginning on May 11, 2020, we must be united and strong in advocating for the preservation of all funding for homelessness services and other basic social services, including mental health services. The State is facing an unprecedented financial crisis. …

Child Abuse and Neglect is a more common phenomena than we may think. According to the National Children’s Alliance, 700,000 children are abused in the U.S. annually. According to Department of Human Services reports on Child Abuse, East Hawaii suffers unusually high rates. This April we are shining light on …

Aloha ‘Ohana and Friends, We want to acknowledge that our community has been deeply affected by the COVID19 pandemic and stay at home orders. We are in the process of preparing for pandemic suppression and recovery in our wahi pana. We want to thank all of our partners who are …

How can we support our LGBTQ homeless youth? Neighborhood Place of Puna supports family strengthening and building resilience for Hawai’i families. Since our founding we have been committed to ending family and youth homelessness in Hawai’i. February is LGBTQ history month. This month we are highlighting the issue of LGBTQ …

  January is Human Trafficking Awareness month. Recently, a PBS broadcast reported that sex trafficking in Hawai’i is far worse (up to 10x as prevalent) than in other mainland cities. Honolulu is a major center point of international sex trafficking, and this issue impacts neighbor islands extensively as well. In …

There have been big changes in our community — the Kilauea Eruption — and at Neighborhood Place of Puna. For one, our website has a new look. Here you can find information about our longstanding programs as well as new programs such as our Family Assessment Center at Hale Iki …