Picnic Plans At Repaired ‘Village’ Site

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Life is moving along well for Waimanalo’s Weinberg Village and its current 25 families, according to its program manager. The state-funded housing center will host a picnic for its residents on Saturday, and it also has completed a slew of repairs and fix-ups that are making the area shine a little brighter.

The picnic was the brainchild of the Hawaii United Okinawan Association, which is planning a day of cultural entertainment such as shishimai dance, bon dance, food - including hot andagi and shave ice - and a chance for children to hit the taiko drums.

“We’re very excited to have the picnic,” said manager Holly Holowach. “The Okinawan Society just called me up and asked to have this. They came over with a committee, and (we) decided what to do.”

The picnic will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The village is “doing great” in other ways as well, she said. For example, it recently received funds from the state to help with much-needed renovations. “It’s looking a lot better around here. A lot of repairs were desperately needed.”

The village’s studio building was falling apart. But it now has a new roof, walls, railings; and every room got new floor tiling and a painting inside and out. New stoves and refrigerators were purchased with other funds, as well as upgrades on plumbing.

“We’ve been chipping away at it. People in the Waimanalo community have commented many times at how nice it looks,” Holowach said proudly.

In February of 2005 the village opened a new playground, sponsored by Home Depot and KaBoom!. The hardware giant brought over about 100 employees and worked with village residents to transform the property.

The “clean and sober” transitional housing project is home to about 100 residents at present, more than half of them children. A few housing units are nearly ready to receive five more families.

“Our goal is to provide parents with tools to be come permanently housed and individually self-sufficient,” Holowach explained. “We have a really good success rate. Our clients are really doing great. Two families successfully transitioned last month. We started turning their units around.”

People can stay up to two years, she added. During that time they are encouraged to complete their GEDs, look for a job and get off welfare.

“The big issue is that there isn’t enough affordable housing out there. The residents are ready to go (but) now we just need the next step, the housing they can afford to move into and stay permanently housed.”

Holowach works for Holo Loaa Loa`a Inc., the agency that operates the Weinberg Village and a unit in Kalaeloa for the state of Hawaii.

For more information on the picnic or on the homeless program, call Holowach at 259-6658.