December 22, 2020
Like nearly 30% of Hawaii’s workforce, Kim* lost her job in the tourism industry due to the economic impacts of the pandemic. After staying with friends and family for a while, Kim reached out to Family Promise of Hawaii in September in search of temporary shelter for herself and 2-year-old son. Family Promise provided a safe and secure unit for her family to sleep, as well as diapers, meals, and case management. While enrolled in our emergency shelter program, Kim proactively searched for new job opportunities as well as permanent housing options for her family. Kim located a two-bedroom apartment in Waikiki and was excited about the possibility of transitioning to a more permanent housing situation for her family. Unfortunately, the landlord informed her that her application was denied due to limited income and poor credit. Thankfully, Kim mentioned to the landlord that she was enrolled in a program with Family Promise. The landlord was familiar with Family Promise through our partnership with Partners In Care’s landlord engagement program (LEP). LEP provides a much-needed linkage between landlords and property managers with vacant units, and people currently experiencing or at-risk of becoming homeless. The program creates housing supply where demand generally far exceeds supply. Once the landlord learned that Kim was connected with Family Promise and LEP, her application was accepted! She was also awarded a Rapid Re-Housing voucher which helped her pay for the security deposit and move-in costs for the unit. Kim and her son are now able to celebrate the holidays in their new home!
*Name changed to protect the confidentiality of the family.
