HOPE Services Awarded $75,000 Grant From Kaiser Permanente

HOPE Services Hawai‘i is one of three organizations awarded grant funding from Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i in an effort to reach underserved communities in the state with a comprehensive array of clinical and social services.

HOPE Services received $75,000 for its Clinical Behavioral Health Program. The funds will be used to provide case management, care coordination, psychiatric services and substance abuse treatment to people experiencing homelessness in rural areas of Hawai‘i Island.

The funds are part of a total of $225,000 Kaiser awarded to support three font-line community organizations that serve people experiencing homelessness.

“At Kaiser Permanente, we believe that housing is health,” said Greg Christian, Hawai‘i market president for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. “You cannot have good health without safe and stable housing. That’s why we are dedicated to addressing housing insecurity, especially in our island’s most underserved communities. Together, with our community allies, we are expanding access to equitable, integrated care that addresses the clinical, social and economic needs of our community.”

These grants are the latest in a series of contributions from Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i to help residents throughout the state receive vital support services that impact their overall health. In 2021, Kaiser dedicated $3.8 million through community grants and scholarships to improve health and wellness in the islands.

The other two organizations that received grants are:

• HI Health and Harm Reduction Center (O‘ahu): $75,000 to fund its Kua‘ana Project. The organization provides homelessness prevention services to transgender individuals experiencing economic insecurity. The grant will enable the organization to conduct housing needs assessments for current and prospective Kua‘ana Project program participants, facilitate financial literacy and life skills workshops and host an educational event that highlights the obstacles sexual and gender minorities face when seeking safe housing.
• Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers (Maui): $75,000 to support its COVID-19 Impact Client Assistance Program, which provides financial relief to people experiencing homelessness. The assistance will help selected individuals and families cover up to $1,000 in expenses, including transportation, administrative fees to obtain documents needed to get a job or apply for government assistance and other costs that are incurred as program participants work to secure permanent housing.

Hawai’i has the second-highest rate of homelessness per capita in the nation. Organizations that serve people who are experiencing homelessness have faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding from these grants directly supports services estimated to reach 400 individuals.

To learn more about HOPE Services Hawai‘i, click here. To learn more about Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i, click here.