By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald

Hawaii Island has a brand-new neighborhood in Pahoa named after the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It’s small, just 12 houses — studios for seniors experiencing homelessness. But it is breaking new ground.

The project is the first permanent affordable rental housing community for seniors in the island’s Puna district, the first developed by HOPE Services Hawaii, an affiliate of the Catholic Church, and the first constructed as HPM Building Supply’s innovative HalePlus prefabricated modular homes.

Blessed on Nov. 8 by vicar general Msgr. Gary Secor at a dedication ceremony attended by about 100 people, it’s called the Sacred Heart Affordable Housing Project, a development of locally-made factory-built homes and an accompanying resource center. It sits on 14.5 acres bought from the Catholic Church adjacent to the Sacred Heart Shelter, a village of micro-units built next to Sacred Heart Church to house those displaced by the 2018 Kilauea eruption.

Twelve seniors, including four veterans, will soon move into the 480-square-foot units. Each house comes with a kitchen, bathroom and lanai and is fully furnished thanks to local organizations, businesses and faith groups. The resource center has a laundry room and an office where residents can connect to supportive services.

“Over the years, it became clear that homelessness is a housing problem,” said Brandee Menino, CEO of HOPE Services Hawaii, in a news release. “So when an opportunity came to partner and add affordable housing in Pahoa, we said, ‘Let’s do it!’”

“We are so grateful for the partners who joined us on this journey, because it would not have been possible without them,” she said. “Together, we are making a positive impact on the lives of our kupuna, providing them with the dignity and comfort they deserve.”

The units can accommodate one person or a couple. They are chosen from those with housing vouchers already in HOPE Services outreach and shelter programs or who are on the street. Rent is capped at one-third of the resident’s income.

The project’s builders, HPM, used the experience it gained earlier when it partnered with HOPE Services and the County of Hawaii on the 2018 eruption micro-shelters, to design and construct the customized HalePlus units at a reduced cost.

“The innovation of HOPE Services and the generosity of so many organizations and supporters inspires all of us and shows us what is possible through partnerships to serve the community,” said Jason Fujimoto, president and CEO of HPM Building Supply.

He said the project “establishes a new model for how nonprofits, government and the private sector can work together with locally made factory-built housing as part of the solution to Hawaii’s affordable housing crisis.”

Larry Coelho, a wheelchair-bound senior who has been staying in a Hilo-shelter with about 40 other men told KITV-News on Nov. 8 that, compared to his present living arrangements, “This is night and day. This is amazing.”

“I can’t imagine a better place,” he said.

“All these places are furnished,” Msgr. Secor noted in his blessing as quoted by the Hawaii Tribune Herald, “not with hand-me-downs from Goodwill, but with really nice stuff, new stuff. Hopefully, this will be a model for other efforts, throughout the island and throughout the state.”

Donors provided the $2.2 million needed to buy the property and for the site work, construction and installation costs. Supporters included religious and nonprofit organizations, community and private foundations, and local businesses, including The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, OAK Foundation, Hawaiian Electric Industries Charitable Foundation, Big Island Candies, Interfaith Communities in Action, the Roman Catholic Church, Hawaii Community Foundation, Friends of Hawaii Charities, Atherton Family Foundation, HMSA, and an anonymous contribution.

In addition to HPM, several building and engineering partners assisted HOPE Services, including Hawaii Island Community Development Corporation, EPI-Engineering Partners Inc., Ludwig Construction Inc., the County of Hawaii, and the State of Hawaii.

The units were furnished and decorated by 14 local sponsors who participated in the HOPE Home Design Contest. They included Creative Arts Hawaii/Aloha Grown, Clay & Cane for Hawaiian Electric, Southwest Airlines, Target, Hawaii Island Community Health Center, Sacred Heart Church, Big Island Substance Abuse Council for Sidney Fuke Planning Consultant, Ohana Health Plan, HFS Federal Credit Union, HOPE Services Hawaii, Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union, and HMSA.

HOPE Services Hawaii provides housing-focused services, including outreach, emergency shelter and affordable housing on Hawaii Island.

HPM Building Supply, a fifth-generation, local, family-run business, serves the home improvement market and building industry statewide through its retail stores, building supply and lumber yards.