Faith-based There are immediate groceries available for needy families out in most neighborhoods, and clothing isn't too hard to come by.
initiatives
Churches step up as 800
families face welfare lossHELPING HANDS
Mary Adamski / madamski@starbulletin.com
But there's virtually no room at the inn, and job training to help parents become self-sufficient is hard to find.
A state agency found lots of holes in the safety net for hundreds of families whose government welfare payments will end in November. The State Volunteer Services office turned to churches on all islands for a view of what grassroots help is available. The Community Assets Survey sought sources of nongovernmental services and support for the families who face the termination of federal funding of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and the state's Temporary Assistance to Other Needy Families.
A July assessment found about 800 Hawaii families will lose that support come November, said Patricia Murakami, acting director of the state Department of Human Services. They will be the first to hit the five-year lifetime limit on benefits, which was set in a 1996 federal law.
Only 106 churches responded to the 32-item questionnaire sent to 600 congregations.
But the planners of the data-collecting effort, which began last fall, aren't disheartened, said Dean Fujii, a member of the volunteer team that prepared the project. A second wave of queries will be launched later this year. A burgeoning interest among churches already promises a much broader response, he said.
"It's very significant that someone covers each of the 32 items on the survey," said Fujii, a United Church of Christ minister. Working with him were volunteers Tony Locascio and Hiroko Kobira with the aid of a local staffer from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has the resource of its national Center for Faith-based and Community-based Initiative.
"We want to provide a survival package so people who are receiving these services will know what's available," said Locascio, who is retired from Boeing International, which "took me to places where I saw a lot of poverty," experiences that led to involvement in this volunteer effort.
"We don't really have everything pinpointed," Locascio said. "For example, we do know we don't have counseling services, we don't have child care services, or the ability to transport people from one place to another. What's also not available is someone to sit with people and fill out forms, which frustrates a lot of folks. These kind of things, we know we're not too strong in.
"The idea is to have a Web page where any community could go to the page, a parish could check and tell a questioner where to go for food," said Locascio. "Each community has it own problems; we want to keep it local."
He said the volunteer agency will invite churches to a workshop where the project will be outlined during the Governor's Conference on Volunteerism Sept. 28. "Next, we'll do another round of collecting information. They may say we don't have the wherewithal or they may not want to participate, but we want to give all the opportunity."
The response has been from Christian churches so far, but the aim is to extend the query, and database, to cover the resources offered by Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim and other faiths.
"We don't want anyone to make it appear that if they are going to X Church for help, that there is going to be proselytizing of any kind," Locascio said. "We are strictly seeking the charitable community available to help people who are going to be slowly released from the rolls and lose benefits."
Fujii said Kauai provided the best model of a variety of providers meeting the whole spectrum of needs. "Because they had devastating natural disasters ... a very comprehensive set of programs is being offered.
Even though it is nine years after Hurricane Iniki, they still have in place quite an extensive and consistent coverage. They continued to do it. I think that is significant," Fujii said.
A key facet of the project is the involvement of a Brigham Young University Hawaii class on "social research methods." Professor Derrik Tollefsen has committed to continue providing analysis of the information.
"He said it gives students a hands-on view, not a textbook view, of what's going on in the community," Locascio said.
The survey stimulated some internal stock-taking by local church organizations, including the United Methodist Church district conference, which is compiling its own overview of resources.
A similar survey is underway by the Office of Social Ministry of the Roman Catholic diocese.
Errol Christian of the Hawaii Catholic Conference said it was one of recommendations of a millennium synod last year that the diocese compile what resources the church has.
"When we found out what the state is doing, it dovetailed with what the church is doing," Christian said. "I think the survey was an eye opener as to all the services that a church can offer. It becomes a tool for churches to evaluate what they have. I hope it would spur churches as to what they can do."
Fujii said, "I would like to see more universal efforts, dealing with things more holistically. Hopefully, some of the churches will get together and do coalitions."
How 106 of 600 churches
respond to community needsOf the 106 churches who responded to the Community Assets Survey:>> 34 said they have designated staff or a volunteer committee to handle requests for assistance.
>> Eight said they provide continuous and sustained help and support for people until all their needs are met.
>> 77 provide food for the hungry with contributions to the food bank.
>> 35 offer free meals at the church or other community sites.
>> Three have community gardens to feed the hungry.
>> 13 provide rent subsidies to people looking for housing assistance.
>> Nine offer emergency housing to homeless families and/or individuals.
>> Four have a transitional housing program available for families or individuals.
>> 42 provide monetary contributions to local people in need.
>> 25 use their membership network to provide social service providers with materials.
>> 48 provide clothing to people in need.
>> Seven provide free or affordable child care for welfare-to-work parents.
>> Seven offer employment to welfare-to-work adults.
>> Five offer employment training for welfare-to-work adults.
>> 28 offer volunteer community service opportunities for welfare-to-work adults.
>> 19 provide support services to the homeless.
>> 21 provide support services to the elderly.
>> 15 provide support services to youth.
>> Nine help with health-screening for low-income families.
>> Three provide health care or free clinic.
>> Three tutor children at homeless shelters.
>> Five offer literacy programs to low-income adults.
>> Four offer literacy programs to low-income children.
>> 29 offer furniture and other furnishings for low-income families.
>> Six offer used computers to low-income families.
>> Three offer computer courses for low-income families.
>> 21 provide support for victims of violence.
>> 35 host substance abuse support groups.
>> Nine provide parenting classes for low-income families.
>> 17 participate in prison ministry or half-way houses.