RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Stacy and Buddy Niheu carry to their car a dresser they just picked up from the Community Clearinghouse on Nimitz Highway.
Isle charities
need hand to help
touch many needy
Robert Lorin is scraping the cupboard to help 15 new people on any given day at Catholic Charities.
CORRECTION
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2003>> A graphic on Page A11 Sunday and A2 yesterday incorrectly listed the address for the Good Neighbor Fund as P.O. Box 13728. The correct address: c/o Helping Hands Hawaii, P.O. Box 17328, Honolulu, HI 96817.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at fbridgewater@starbulletin.com.
"It really hurts when I look at a family and know they really need help. If they have no food or money for rent, I know they'll be out on the streets. The shelters are all overcrowded and the waiting lists to get in are long."
As the intake and referral worker for Catholic Charities, he puts people in contact with the agencies who can help them.
But there are "not enough" supplies to meet the most basic of human needs, Lorin said.
Today marks the first day of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin's annual Good Neighbor Fund, which works with the social agency Helping Hands Hawaii to collect money and goods for the needy during the holiday season. People can drop off items at Helping Hands' Community Clearinghouse from now until Christmas.
Jessica Ramos, program manager of the Bilingual Access Line at Helping Hands, said more than 100 nonprofit and government agencies use its "valuable service" to bridge the cultural gap experienced by new immigrants. Translators also provide a vital link to supply other needs, such as furniture, food, clothing and rent and utility emergency funding.
Koreans and Vietnamese are high on the list of immigrants needing interpreters, she said.
Many Micronesians, who have recently immigrated to Hawaii, are also among those requesting help. Lorin also works for Helping Hands as an interpreter for Micronesians who don't speak English.
The Micronesians need help communicating with doctors, employers, and government agencies, and Lorin is on call to appear in court or go down to the police station if someone runs into trouble, he said. As their spokesman, he is often the point man in easing their transition into their new homeland.
Lorin, who speaks and writes Chuukese, says the language barrier "is a very major problem" for Micronesians and other immigrants because it makes it even more difficult for them to find employment.
Catholic Charities and other agencies like Helping Hands and the Salvation Army all try "to stretch their supplies over as many fam ilies as possible," and sometimes they come up short, Lorin said. Housing is a major problem, he added, citing a recent incident in which he learned of 14 people sharing a bedroom in a Makiki apartment.
"It's very hard to face people every day who give me this look, like 'You just don't want to help us' when there's nothing I can do. I don't have anything!"
Capsun Poe, program manager of the Community Clearinghouse, said: "A lot more people are coming in who never before had to ask for help."
Case workers say many people seeking help are grandparents on fixed retirement incomes raising their grandchildren whose parents have been jailed or are undergoing rehabilitation for drug abuse.
Poe said beds are the most requested item year-round, followed by dressers. Last year, lots of people gave cash, and the clearinghouse was able to use it to buy 50 beds and 50 dressers at a bargain price.
All the items in the clearinghouse are free, but people are limited to only one large item, be it furniture or an appliance, so as many families as possible on Oahu can be helped.
"We're always in short supply," particularly right before the holidays, when people are busy getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas, Poe said. But he is anticipating the warehouse to be well-stocked by Christmas because of the annual Good Neighbor Fund drive, and even have enough left over to "keep us going for another couple months after the holidays."
Last year Helping Hands helped 2,833 clients with financial assistance for rent, utilities, transportation and education, and supplying material goods, Poe said.
