Kalihi furniture delivery made possible by three nonprofits

Local nonprofit community builder HomeAid Hawai‘i has for the first time partnered with Re-use Hawaiʻi to furnish one of its kauhale projects – and it won’t be the last, according to HomeAid Hawai‘i Chief Impact Officer Miranda Michiyo Linsky.

The organizations, along with Hawai‘i Health & Harm Reduction Center and eight volunteer residents from Ho‘okahi Leo Kauhale, teamed up last month to distribute furniture salvaged from Ala Moana Hotel to homes and communal spaces on site in Kalihi.

“Our mission as HomeAid Hawai‘i is to reduce the cost of construction for residents through partnerships,” Linsky told Aloha State Daily. “Working with Re-use to divert waste from landfills and turn it into a community resource makes so much sense for us because it’s also contributing to environmental sustainability. It helps keep our homes deeply affordable.”

The donation of materials to enhance Ho‘okahi Leo Kauhale was worth at least $10,700, Linsky added. HomeAid Hawaiʻi CEO Kimo Carvalho noted that including labor costs from nearly 20 volunteers in total, savings on the overall project were roughly between $15,000 to $20,000.

“Now that Re-use understands HomeAid and our mission, we can start looking at some of the other incurred costs for materials and supplies, while helping Re-use accomplish their mission, too. It became an impetuous of a new relationship and we expect to expand that impact further.”

Beyond furniture, Re-use Hawai‘i accepts donations from individuals and businesses including flooring, appliances, tools, paint and lumber, for example, which HomeAid and other developers can benefit from, said HomeAid leadership. Kauhale housing typically comes with the essentials – bed, desk, storage, window shades, etc. – so residents don’t have to purchase furniture, but can if they wish to add to their home. Kitchens, community centers, hygiene and laundry facilities are also on property.

Rent for kauhales, or a small village of tiny homes funded by the state, go for "around $500 per month or no more than 30% of what a household earns, making it easier for those who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness," according to HomeAid's website. "The idea is to keep things budget-friendly and make it sustainable, aiming for around $2.5 million for a 50-unit project, or just $50,000 for each home."

“Ultimately, it’s a whole community approach and it starts with the belief that solutions are possible,” Carvalho said. “There’s actually solutions that come through land and environmental stewardship through the agriculture industry that helps with our mission in designing dignified communities to create spaces for health and healing.”

Other industry partners for HomeAid include auto/transportation, hospitality, art and culture, among others. Carvalho said artist Marko Livingston of Streetfelt Murals has been tapped to lead a community art piece at Ho‘okahi Leo Kauhale and that other artists have contributed to other kauhales.

“We can’t say thank you enough,” Linsky said. We’re very grateful to have started this with [Re-use]. … We hope to be a good partner in return, too. They appreciated being able to take the old furniture out from the hotel and take them straight into the unit without having to figure out storage logistics. It really benefits are residents and communities in the long run. … Together, we can build communities we can be proud of.”

Ho‘okahi Leo Kauhale currently houses 23 residents’ long-term stay, with phase two underway to build 30 new homes on the existing village.

“We still are approximately 44,000 homes short in our market to break through this affordable housing crisis,” Carvalho said. “Our greatest need is to ensure that we have the partners at the table that’s going to address the problem as best we can.”

The goal for the foreseeable future, he added, is building “as many homes and communities as we can.”

“We aim to get things done, without compromising to safety. Getting people into the types of homes they can afford,” he said. “There’s always another way, which takes out-of-the-box thinking and innovation. It is absolutely possible for anyone in any industry to be part of this solution.”

Since its inception in 2015, HomeAid Hawaiʻi has completed 17 housing projects, with more than $35 million in savings, thanks to partnerships that help provide donated labor and materials.

A list of its partners can be found here.

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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.