Name: Sharon R. Yamada
Age: 50
Education: University of Hawaii-Manoa
Occupation: Hawaii Housing Authority executive director
Hobbies: Jogging
Now she's housing the homeless and helping low-income families get on their feet as executive director of the Hawaii Housing Authority.
Since she took the position eight months ago, Yamada said, the rapidly changing national welfare reform has made housing authorities throughout the nation change their missions.
No longer is it enough for the authority to provide a roof over the heads of poor people. Her agency now must offer job training, day care and opportunities for homeownership. "It's been very challenging," Yamada said.
Management and maintenance administrator Robert Hall, a 13-year veteran at the authority, said that since Yamada came on board, the agency's work pace has sped up.
"She keeps us moving," Hall said. "I've gone to more night resident meetings in the last eight months than I have in the last couple of years."
Before becoming executive director, Yamada spent five years on the housing authority commission, including 18 months as chairwoman.
She said the experience sparked her desire to learn more about what she called Hawaii's poorest and most in need.
"What needs to be remembered is the issue of homelessness cannot be solved by just one branch of the state administration," she said.
Of the state's 25,000 residents in public housing, approximately 35 percent are on welfare.
"With the current welfare cuts, we need to bring on programs that will help our residents in housing," she said.
So the authority is setting up programs like the Family Investment Center, which offers housing recipients a computer training center, job training classes and classes on saving to eventually purchase a home. The center is in the authority's School Street office complex.
"We're very proud," she said. "Out of 3,500 public housing authorities in the nation, only 102 have a Family Investment Center."
Under Yamada, the department earned national recognition from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The award called Hawaii a national model for using its community resources such as job programs, drug treatment centers, mental health facilities and other shelters to help answer the needs of the homeless.