Blog: Service learning – project

Aloha! Today we were privileged to visit a homeless
shelter through the H5 organization called the "Next Step
Shelter." To our surprise prior to being a shelter it was
a War World II air crafter carrier. The organization was
formulated in 2006, with the intention of only being
operative for eight months. Due to the success of the
nonprofit organization they are fortunate to still provide
shelter for those in need. Next Step Shelter is a unique
association that allows members (homeless people) to stay a
maximum of two years. This program is organized to help
families as well as single individuals to find jobs, while
staying in a comfortable and supportive environment in order
to get on their feet. I felt that this was an extremely
informative and inspirational experience. We learned that
Honolulu has the highest rate of homeless people in
Hawai'i and that this organization was the only one that
is dedicated to not only providing shelter and food, but
also motivating and urging their members to work and set
goals for moving out. I found it interesting that they
enforce that the members go out and find work by closing the
shelter from 8:30am-5:30pm.
We arrived at the shelter at 5:00 allowing us a chance
to examine the living arrangement of the members. The
shelter was set up in a series of cubicles. Family and
couples set near the entrance of the shelter and single
individuals toward the back. It was interesting to see the
variety of belongings that were in each cubicle. I felt the
things they carried told a story about each individual. When
the residents started to arrive most of them settled in, while
the children roamed freely. They appeared to be use to
volunteers because they didn't stare or seem to be alarmed
by our presence by any means. I didn't get a chance to
interact with the adults, but I thought the children were
absolutely adorable. Most of us decided to go into the
children's play area to get the attention of the children
and when we did there was a great turn out. Cynthia and
James with their great energetic and musical abilities
started up a fun free style, which allowed all of us to get
the kids to lighten up and get the attention of the members.
Overall, we had a load of fun and it was an experience to
remember.

Mahalo!
Cassandra Wright
January 11, 2009