Building Aloha - Honolulu Habitat for Humanity

In this blog post we are highlighting another of our favorite community partners: Honolulu Habitat for Humanity. 

Living in Hawai`i has many upsides - beautiful landscapes, sunny skies, and inviting ocean waters, to name a few - but it also comes with its challenges. For many Hawai`i residents, affordable housing is a continual struggle, and home ownership remains out of reach.

Site Supervisor MG Greenway consults with Volunteer Coordinator Ivan Orozco about the day's punch list. 

Honolulu Habitat for Humanity (HHH) aims to fill that gap through its mission of bringing people together “to build homes, communities and hope.” HHH connects local businesses and the community to build homes for families living in inadequate housing, who don’t otherwise have the financial resources to buy a home.

Partner families are carefully screened for need, financial stability, and willingness to partner. The latter of those is especially important, since HHH operates on a “sweat equity” model; each adult family member is asked to contribute about 300 hours of active time helping to build the home. These hours are supplemented with the time and effort of community members, local businesses, and civic groups who volunteer at build site workdays.

Honolulu Habitat for Humanity's Operations Manager has multiple ties to the organization - first as a home build partner family, and later as a Habitat employee. 

For homeowners whose homes are in need of repair, improvements, or modifications for ADA compliance, HHH also offers a Home Preservation Program. This program operates similarly to the Home Build program and offers families the chance to improve the safety, value, and appearance of their homes. It also creates the opportunity for kupuna to remain in their home and community.

Since its establishment in 1988, HHH has built 78 homes to date, with a goal of completing seven more in 2018; this number includes home builds as well as preservations.

Finally, HHH operates its ReStore, a nonprofit home improvement store and donation center that sells new and gently used furniture, appliances, building materials and home accessories to the public at a fraction of the retail price. All proceeds from the ReStore go to support local Habitat projects.

ReStore Manger April Bullis and a team member measure and cut lumber. 

Honolulu Habitat for Humanity hosts more than 800 volunteers each year, who donate a total of 7,700 hours annually. That’s a lot of hard work!  In 2018, Hawaiian Ola has committed to providing HHH with 1,000 drinks to help keep volunteers refreshed and hydrated. We are thrilled to be able to support their valuable work for the community.  

HHH celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, culminating with its Build Aloha Benefit on April 28th in Honolulu. For more information on Honolulu Habitat for Humanity, check out their website.