EVENT RECAP: FINDING HOME, BUILDING COMMUNITY
In September, the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series held our Finding Home, Building Community program. The forum illuminated the crisis of houselessness in Hawai`i from the perspective of members of the Puʻuhonua O Waianae community.
The conversation featured: Twinkle Borges of Puʻuhonua O Waianae (and Ho‘okele Award recipient); Jessy Freddy Francis of We Are Oceania; Tina Grandinetti, a staffer at the Hawai‘i State Legislature; Ronette Kawakami of the William S. Richardson School of Law; James Koshiba of Hui Aloha; Blanche Macmillan of Hui Mahiaʻi Aina; and Lindsay Pacheco of Ka Po‘e O Kaka‘ako. Our moderator was Maya Soetoro from UH’s Matsunaga Institute.
Event sponsors included: Ceeds of Peace, College of Social Sciences, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, Kamehameha Schools, Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and the William S. Richardson School of Law.
Watch the full event video here:
Please consider making a contribution to Puʻuhonua O Waiʻanae’s Phase 2 campaign. They are currently raising funds to build communal infrastructures like roads, bathrooms, and community kitchens for their village.
You might also want to check out the ACLU’s new report on the criminalization of houselessness.
