Department of Human Services

The Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness (HICH) has organized a week-long set of trainings titled “Housing First System and Practice Implementation,” being held from Sept. 8 to 12, 2014, in Honolulu and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The sessions will feature national experts Suzanne Wagner and Andrea White from Housing Innovations, who together have over 50 years of experience developing, implementing and assisting communities across the country in effective evidence-based housing and service programs for homeless people with special needs. The training sessions have been coordinated by the HICH with assistance from the state Department of Human Services Hawaii Homeless Program’s Office; the Veterans Administration Healthcare for Homeless Veteran Program; the City and County of Honolulu; the continuum of care for Oahu known as Partners In Care; the continuum of care for the neighbor islands known as Bridging the Gap; and the Hale O Malama collaboration of service providers, governmental entities, and community members across Hawaii.

The week also includes the HICH’s quarterly meeting, which takes place from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at the Hawaii State Capitol, Room 309. Ms. Wagner and Ms. White will be featured at the HICH meeting, and the public is invited.

“We are partnering with the VA to bring Suzanne and Andrea to Hawaii to help us better understand how to implement ‘Housing First’ as well as the systemic changes we have undertaken through the adoption of our state plan to end homelessness,” said Colin Kippen, HICH chair. “We will also be discussing Hale O Malama, our coordinated intake process to assess the needs of each homeless person and to marshal the resources necessary to provide them with the permanent housing and services necessary to end their homelessness and stabilize their lives. Hale O Malama is a community-wide transformation of our existing homeless response system that is supported by both HUD and the VA and has been proven effective.”

The week’s agenda is divided up into 13 discrete sessions intended to meet the needs of the different layers of our existing homeless housing and service delivery system. Training will conclude on Friday.  

Media Contacts:
Colin Kippen, HICH, (808) 729-0153
Andy Dahlburg, VA, (808) 284-4190