The Month of Love
- Family Promise of Hawai’i
- Feb 24, 2021
- 5 min read
February 24, 2021
February is known as the month of love, aside from Valentine’s Day this month honors the beauty of the Hawaiian language and Black history.
Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month) was designated in the month of February in 2012 under an amendment to the Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes §8-24. This act was created to help raise awareness and appreciation of the importance of the Hawaiian language and the contribution it continues to make in creating a culturally diverse community. Nelson Mandela once said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” Thus, it is all of our kuleana (responsibility) to take pride in the space we occupy through learning and normalizing ʻōlelo in our everyday lives. So, let’s learn a few of Family Promise’s core values in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
Hoʻokipa - (Hospitality) as a leader in homeless services we treat all people with respect and are mindful of our cultural and ethnic differences.
Pilina - (Collaboration) our agency consistently works closely with multiple partner agencies, volunteers, congregations, and others who help families achieve independence by cultivating meaningful relationships.
Aloha Ke Kahi I Ke Kahi - (Love One Another) this ʻŌlelo Noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb) aligns with our core value of anti-racism. We are committed to advancing diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice. We work to continuously increase awareness of racial injustice and are dedicated to the fight against racism.
Also honored in February, Black History Month started out as a week-long celebration in the mid-1920s to acknowledge the many contributions and achievements of Black people. The second week of the month was originally chosen because it coincided with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. This week brought historians, scholars, teachers and community members together to educate each other on the accomplishments of African-Americans. President Ford called upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Later in the 1970s, Black history began to be celebrated all month long.
When discussing the history of African-Americans, the struggles the community has had to face, are often highlighted. Black History Month is designed to encourage everyone to learn more about the wonderful contributions that have been made despite the obstacles. For instance, many of the items we use everyday were made possible by the ingenuity of Black people: the three light traffic signal, the mailbox, refrigerated trucks, the automatic gear shift, folding chairs, automatic clothes dryer, Bounce fabric softener, ironing board, Crest toothpaste, Folgers coffee, and the mop, to name a few.
Although Black people have endured a long history of housing segregation and discrimination in the US, they’ve still created many household inventions that make everyday living easier. So, let’s all celebrate the contributions of the Black community in our everyday lives, as we also honor the ways ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi shapes the ways we respect and honor the land we live on as well as the people we interact with.
"Kō aloha lā ʻea" – No matter what obstacles that come, Keep Your Love.
Family Promise Featured on Hawaii News Now's Kokua Cast
Since the pandemic began, we have increased our availability of services to meet the needs of the community. COVID-19 has shed light on how vulnerable many of Hawaii's households are to economic distress. Check out our existing resources for households who are experiencing housing instability:
Prevention - We provide a variety of strategies to ensure the people we serve do not fall into the cycle of housing instability that can devastate families and alter the course of children’s lives. Prevention is the rapid response first step to stabilize housing for those who are on the brink of becoming homeless. Our prevention program provides short-term financial assistance to stabilize families facing a short-term financial crisis.
Diversion - Diversion encourages families to identify alternative safe housing options based on their own available resources, outside the homeless shelter system. Diversion combines a flexible combination of short-term case management and one-time financial assistance to help families transition out of housing instability.
Shelter - For families who are experiencing homelessness we are temporarily sheltering families in individual units at a facility in Honolulu. We currently have the capacity to shelter 24 families at a time.
Day Center - Access to the internet, showers, and laundry facilities as well as food and hygiene products for families in need of support. Located in Chinatown.
Rapid Re-Housing - Providing rental assistance and comprehensive case management services to help homeless families obtain housing quickly, increase self-sufficiency, and stay housed.
If you know of a household in need of help, please direct them to our website to learn more or encourage them to call our office at (808) 466-4241. Please note, all families must schedule an appointment to meet with our team.
Meet the Team
An interview with Morgan, Victim Support Case Manager
The FPH team (staff, volunteers, and board members) is diverse. We value this diversity as one of the strongest factors in our collective success. Drawing upon our range of cultural backgrounds, skills, educational levels, beliefs, and experiences fosters empathy, creativity, and community. In our upcoming newsletters we will be featuring a variety of team members at FPH so you can get to know them a little better.
This month, we get to know Morgan.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I went to Long Beach State University, I majored in International Studies. I received my Master of Social Work degree from University of Hawaii in 2019.
What brought you to Family Promise?
While I was in graduate school, I completed my summer internship at Family Promise. When a vacancy at the agency came up, I knew it would be a great fit.
Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies?
I love to read.
What’s something you’re proud of?
I'm proud of the families I have worked alongside at Family Promise who are always trying to improve their situations.
What’s something you find challenging about your work at Family Promise?
The COVID restrictions have made our work more challenging.
When you are not working, what's your favorite way to relax?
I love to watch tv and simply do nothing.
We Are Hiring!
Oahu Housing Now Case Managers
We are excited to embark on an ambitious project in collaboration with the City and County of Honolulu, Partners In Care, and Alternative Structures International to house 300 - 350 households experiencing homelessness over the next 18 months. The project is called Oahu Housing Now. We will be hiring numerous case managers as well as a lead case manager for the project over the next few months. Check out the job description by clicking on the button below!