ʻOhana Navigation Center
Children under age 1 are more likely to experience homelessness than people of any other age in the US, followed by children ages 1–5.
An estimated 1 in 30 young children in Hawai‘i experience homelessness annually.
Family Promise of Hawaiʻi provides emergency shelter, case management, and wraparound services to families with children, helping them quickly get back to stable housing — or avoid entering the shelter system altogether.
Our ʻOhana Navigation Center will be a permanent facility for our emergency shelter program and wraparound services, like housing navigation, rental assistance, financial coaching, and workforce development.
We envision this facility will have "non-congregate" shelter space for six families at a time, meaning each family will have its own room. Between the shelter and our other holistic services, we estimate this facility will serve 120 families (over 400 individuals) annually. The space will also include showers, laundry facilities, a kitchen, computers, and a community room for group classes and activities.
Our solutions
» Prevention & Diversion: Helping families remain in or return to stable housing without using the shelter system.
» Emergency Shelter: Providing families a safe place to stay while working to get back into permanent housing.
» Rental Assistance: Providing short-term housing subsidies paired with ongoing case management.
» Stabilization: Helping families achieve lasting independence through workforce & financial skill-building.
The need in Hawaiʻi
The most detailed data on child homelessness in Hawai‘i comes from the state Department of Education, which collects data on public school students experiencing homelessness.
Overall, 3,099 students were identified as homeless in school year 2020-21, or one in every 56 students. Students experienced homelessness in every complex area. The Nānākuli-Wai‘anae complex area had the highest rate, with one in 14 students experiencing homelessness.
Homelessness in early childhood has long-term impacts and requires unique solutions
» Children experiencing homelessness get sick at higher
rates and have higher rates of mental health challenges.
» Homelessness affects young children’s literacy and socio-
emotional development in their early years and beyond.
» Homelessness is traumatic and often stems from other
traumatic experiences, which can disrupt brain development.
» Children experiencing homelessness have worse classroom outcomes starting in early elementary school.