Building a Safer Community: How Donations to Kawailehua Can Transform Lives in Public Housing

Public housing in Hawaiʻi serves as the final refuge for many who have nowhere else to turn. At Kawailehua Public Housing in Kōloa, this includes kūpuna on fixed incomes, disabled residents, mothers and children, immigrant families displaced by historical injustices, and people without credit, savings, or references. For these residents, Kawailehua is not a temporary stop but the last place before homelessness.

Despite its critical role, Kawailehua has faced years of neglect. The absence of on-site management, safety oversight, trauma-informed support, and a meaningful tenant voice has led to serious challenges. Elders have suffered abuse, children have experienced trauma, and disabled residents have faced harassment. Drug activity and violence occur openly, and strangers who are not tenants control the property at night. Tenants feel trapped in the only homes they have.

The Kawailehua Community Alliance was formed by tenants to change this reality. Their goal is to build safety, accountability, and healing through restorative justice, not punishment. Central to their plan is creating an on-site Family Resource Center led by the community and grounded in Hawaiian values such as Moʻolelo (storytelling), ʻIke (knowledge), Hana (work), Pono (righteousness), Mālama (care), and Kuleana (responsibility).

Kawailehua Public Housing complex with community garden

The Challenges Facing Kawailehua Residents

Kawailehua’s residents face multiple, overlapping challenges:

• Lack of On-site Management: Without consistent management, problems go unaddressed, and residents have no immediate support.

• Safety Concerns: Drug activity and violence are common, making the environment unsafe, especially at night.

• Trauma and Abuse: Elders and children have experienced abuse and trauma, with little access to healing resources.

• No Tenant Voice: Residents have no formal way to raise concerns or influence decisions affecting their homes.

• Isolation: Many tenants feel trapped, with no options to move or improve their living conditions.

  
  

These issues create a cycle of hardship that affects the entire community’s well-being.

How the Kawailehua Community Alliance Is Making a Difference

The tenants themselves organized to form the Kawailehua Community Alliance. This group focuses on creating a safer, healthier environment through community-led solutions. Their approach includes:

• Restorative Justice: Instead of demanding punishment, they work to heal relationships and build accountability.

• Family Resource Center: A hub for trauma-informed support, youth and family programs, and cultural education.

• Community Safety Coordination: Organizing efforts to reduce violence and drug activity through collaboration and vigilance.

• Advocacy for Vulnerable Residents: Supporting kūpuna and disabled tenants to ensure their needs are met.

• Cultural Healing: Using Hawaiian values and practices to foster connection and resilience.

  
  

This model empowers residents to take responsibility for their community’s future and create lasting change.

What Donations Will Support

The fundraising campaign on GiveButter aims to raise between $25,000 and $50,000 to launch Phase 1 of the Family Resource Center. Donations will fund:

• On-site Trauma-Informed Staffing: Professionals trained to support residents dealing with trauma and conflict.

• Youth and Family Programs: Activities and services that promote well-being, education, and connection.

• Community Safety Coordination: Resources to monitor and improve safety on the property.

• Cultural and Community Education: Workshops and events that teach Hawaiian values and healing practices.

• Infrastructure Improvements: Stabilizing the physical and social environment to support vulnerable residents.

  
  

Every dollar helps build a foundation for a safer, more supportive community.

Why Supporting Kawailehua Matters

Public housing is often overlooked, yet it houses some of the most vulnerable people in Hawaiʻi. Kawailehua is not just a place to live; it is a community where people deserve dignity, safety, and hope. Supporting this campaign means:

• Protecting Elders and Children: Ensuring they live free from abuse and trauma.

• Empowering Residents: Giving tenants a voice and tools to improve their lives.

• Building Community Resilience: Creating a model that can inspire other public housing communities.

• Honoring Hawaiian Values: Grounding solutions in culture and shared responsibility.

  
  

This is a chance to make a real difference where it counts most.

How You Can Help

You can support the Kawailehua Community Alliance by donating at https://givebutter.com/Ewmaia. Contributions of any size help fund critical programs and staffing that bring safety and healing to the community.

Sharing this campaign with friends, family, and social networks also raises awareness and builds momentum. Together, we can help Kawailehua residents rise in kuleana and create a safer, stronger home for all.