“We watched Hōkūleʻa come in from up here,” explains the home’s owner, Allene Uesugi. “All of us came up here to watch.” Allene Uesugi is an on-call Recruitment Specialist with our Hui Hoʻomalu program. A Kalihi native, she is also a veteran Resource Caregiver of over 30 years.

Resource Caregivers provide safe, healthy, and nurturing environments for children who have been removed from their family homes. The children can be any age, from infants to 18 year-olds. The ultimate goal of fostering children is to reunite them with their families.

“The saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ rings true for children in foster care,” says Stephanie Helbush. Stephanie is the Project Director for Hui Hoʻomalu, our program that recruits, screens, processes, trains, licenses, and supports Resource Families. The wide array of services means there are several staff like Allene, who works part-time and on-call.

Allene has been with Hui Hoʻomalu for several years and has fostered over 300 keiki from all walks of life here in Hawaiʻi nei. Her three biological children were already grown and out of the house when she decided to become a Resource Caregiver. Allene says she missed having children around her house and felt a divine pull to become a foster parent.

She and her husband, Arthur, served as an ’emergency shelter’ for foster children for many years. They would take in any child at any hour, day or night, understanding the urgency and need for such selfless families. Allene had to stop the ’emergency shelter’ designation after Arthur’s untimely death from a heart attack nearly a decade ago.

Allene says she thought she knew everything about parenting, but that by opening her home to foster children she has learned so much more. Allene states that it’s important for both the keiki and their Resource Caregivers to understand that where the children are is not their fault — it’s circumstances beyond their control and the Resource Caregivers are there to do whatever they can to help.

“All these kids need is a jump start. They need somebody to pull them along until they can get really fired up and continue on,” Allene says. “It will take a Resource Caregiver to help them know how important they are.”

Kanani Moananu is a 29 year-old who works in Kapolei. She went into the foster care system at the age of 12 before coming into Allene and Arthur’s home. Kanani describes how important it was for her, and is for every foster child, to feel loved when they come into a stranger’s home.

“If you’re taking the time or the step to actually expand your family, knowing that these are not your biological kids… these kids that are considered ‘foster’ are actually kids that’s looking for love, a safe home, a family that they can be part of and not feel like an outsider. And that’s what I found with Mom Allene and Dad Arthur.”

Kanani is one of the lucky ones. Too often keiki “age out” of foster care: when they turn 18, they are expected to move out and find housing, jobs, transportation — despite many of these young people still being in high school. Young adults who age out of the system are much more at risk for not finishing high school, experiencing homelessness, drug abuse, and incarceration.

Besides the physical effects, former foster children — and especially those who age out — often experience a number of emotional and psychological issues. 25% of keiki who age out are said to experience direct effects of PTSD.

For Kanani, she says she “broke the wheel” that both sides of her family have been spinning for generations. She was the first in three generations to graduate high school. Kanani explains that while she respects her family and honors the decisions they make for themselves, ‘their path’ wasn’t for her.

Nearly 50% of the keiki in foster care in Hawaiʻi are Native Hawaiian. The importance of finding Native Hawaiian families cannot be understated. These families help the keiki on a cultural level — adjusting to foster care is difficult enough.

But there is still an open need for any loving family. Some groups, like older children and teenagers or larger sibling groups are especially difficult to place. Many people might be apprehensive about bringing a teenager into their home, or suddenly finding four children running around, but the need is there. A common phrase at Hui Hoʻomalu goes,, “You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent. There are thousands of teens in foster care who would love to put up with you.”

Becoming a Resource Caregiver may seem like a daunting task, but there are so many organizations that are here to support you at every step of the process. Our Hui Hoʻomalu program partners with local organizations like Family Programs Hawaiʻi and Catholic Charities to provide ongoing support and retention services.

“We need folks to give the gift of foster care, and call us to see if this is something you can do for our youth,” said Stephanie. These children are not able to be in their home environment and desperately need a place to call home during this difficult time.

Allene gets emotional when she talks about the foster children that have come through her doors. From infants to college-age, every one of them has had an impact on her life and how she sees the world. To her, becoming a Resource Caregiver is one of the most important decisions someone can make.

“Open your heart. We always have that saying: ‘one heart, one mind, one breath is the aloha way’. To keep our families together you have to embrace them. We have that same ʻohana. It’s not just our ʻohana. People outside of our ʻohana is ʻohana. People in need is ‘ohana.”

When asked if she had a message for people thinking about becoming a Resource Caregiver, Allene had one thing to say:

“You can make an impact on a life. You just have to want to do it.

Despite having received a FLEX Grant from HCF in the past, PIDF was no less thrilled to such a generous amount to help support its mission and programs serving Hawaiian families.

“We are ecstatic to receive this grant from the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation,” said PIDF President Jan Hanohano Dill. “They provide much needed unrestricted funds that allow nonprofits like ours to take vital programs to the next level by enhancing or expanding services, developing new programs, securing additional funds for staff trainings and conferences, and more.”

The importance of unrestricted funds cannot be understated. While restricted funds are designated for a special or particular purpose (such as an individual program or project), nonprofits can take unrestricted funds and allocate them to wherever they are needed most.

PIDF was selected as a grantee because of its demonstrated strengths in accountability, achievement of results, and “community connectedness.”

The funds from HCF will go to PIDF operations statewide, programs on specific islands, and PIDF programs supporting healthy development of Hawaiian children and young adults (birth to 20 years old). The specific funds granted to PIDF are as follows:

Jean I. Fennimore Fund
Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Fund
Annie Sinclair Knudsen Memorial Fund
Marisla Fund
Reverend Takie Okumura Family Fund
Tai Up Yang Fund
Henry A. Zuberano Early Education Fund

The FLEX Grants Program would not be possible without the generous sponsorship from these partners and many others.

For more information, contact our communications office at (808) 595-5290.

Over 2,000 people came out to the event for some “non-scary non-scandalous” fun. This year there were food trucks, horses, carnival rides, face painting, free flu shots and of course, games. Hui Hoʻomalu had their own game for keiki at their booth, and information on foster care for parents and other caregivers.

“We’re here tonight at this festival because it’s a family event,” said Cindy Holloway, a Recruitment Assistant and trainer with Hui Hoʻomalu. “What we’re looking for is families that can take in children who need… a temporary home for them when they can’t be their own family.”

Despite it being the night of fright, the event’s “non-scary” aspect extended to foster care. A resource caregiver (foster parent) herself, Cindy, along with Community Liaison Carol Hayashida, had plenty of information and advice to offer potential resource families.

Hui Hoʻomalu was created to help enhance and advance Hawaiʻi’s foster care system. This program recruits, trains, and assesses families who wish to become “General Licensed” resource caregivers — those who foster children not related to them.

For more information on how to help keiki in need and becoming a Resource Caregiver, visit the main program page here.

This year, Partners in Development Foundation’s Hui Ho‘omalu program had the privilege of witnessing some of these effort come to fruition as Kaua‘i resident Estrella Barnett regained custody of her daughter Alexi after being separated by CWS in August 2016. Looking back, Barnett says there are days it all feels like a dream. While their journey has not been an easy one, it has been fueled by determination, commitment, and love.

After Barnett and Alexi were separated, Barnett went into rehab on the mainland for four months to do the personal work of shifting priorities. When she returned to Kaua‘i she could no longer live with her parents who were fostering Alexi, and so had to find a place of her own. She found a new job, attended daily AA/NA meetings as required by CWS, and had regular visits with Alexi under CWS supervision.

Although at first her family distrusted her and didn’t believe she had changed, Barnett stayed committed to her path of recovery so she could be reunited with her daughter. “Life is not easy,” she says. “It’s hard and I couldn’t have got here without my family and without God.

The beneficiary organizations were: Adult Friends for Youth, Family Programs Hawaii, and Partners in Development Foundation. Each organization was able to identify five youths to participate.

The kids were filled with joy from the time spent with the officers and the blessing they were given! To commemorate that special time together, officers purchased a gift for their new friend from them personally.

Kiwanis Executive Club of Honolulu is a member of Kiwanis International; an international service organization dedicated to serving the children and youth of the world. The club is comprised of members representing various sectors of the community including business, government, finance, and legal who primarily work in Downtown Honolulu. The purpose of the club is to support the community in which we work and live.

Mahalo Kiwanis Executive Club for allowing our foster kids to be part of this special event. It has made such a great impact in their lives. We appreciate the support you give to communities across the state.

Nine years ago, when Dill was approached by the Hawai‘i Department of Human Services (DHS) to collaborate on foster care, he realized that foster care was an integral part of the Hawaiian culture (hānai). “I remember my mother letting people in need stay with us until they were able to leave, and I did the same with my children and their friends,” said Dill. Because majority of the children in foster care are Hawaiian, Dill was motivated to look at ways to create transformational change within Child Welfare Services (CWS).

Since PIDF started working with DHS, their program, Hui Ho‘omalu, has worked with over 17,000 families in the foster care system. In 2015, PIDF served over 11,500 people and since its inception, it has served over 55,000 people, managing over $90M in grants. Hui Ho‘omalu is a program that specializes in recruiting and training individuals to become resource caregivers for foster youth living in Hawaii. The Hui Ho‘omalu staff focuses on providing training on Hawaiian culture, values and protocol while bridging DHS and the Hawaiian Community by assisting in building trusting relationships with communities, community leaders, and other organizations; connections that support the direction and mission of the program, giving relatives priority in child placement.

Although Dill was unable to receive the award (in person) at the Annual Angels in Adoption Gala in Washington D.C., he was surprised when U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono paid him an unexpected visit to present him with his Angel in Adoption award as well as a Special Congressional Recognition certificate.

There are more than 1,300 children in the state of Hawaii alone that are waiting for someone to provide the love and support that they desperately need as such a critical point in their life. Our staff is committed to walk alongside you to help you complete the process so that you can give a foster child the opportunity to have a better life.

Remember: you don’t have to be the perfect parent to be a resource caregiver. There are many foster children that would love the privilege to be a part of your family. The beginning of your journey and love story awaits. Visit our website to learn how you can help make a difference today.

Aloha PID Foundation ‘Ohana! As we aim to inspire and equip you for success and service, we’re proud to bring you Ke ‘Ano – The Voice of PIDF. This podcast will be your connection to the latest and greatest happenings throughout the Foundation. If you have something you’d like to share, don’t hesitate to contact us!

This month, we’ll be hanging out with Hui Ho‘omalu as they celebrate National Foster Care Month. We have some exciting things to talk about, and hope that these stories will help you better understand the many challenges and triumphs your peers face every day.

Pillars of the Foundation

This week, we have the honor of sitting with two of the most important individuals in all of PIDF: our beloved President Jan Dill, and our esteemed Cultural Specialist, ‘Anakala ‘Iokepa DeSantos. Their insights will set the stage for a larger conversation about Foster Care in Hawaii. To better understand the call to action, we talk about Native Hawaiian culture, in particular the concept of “Hānai” and how the understanding of the concept has changed in modern times.

May is National Foster Care Month!

There are many exciting things happening this month in celebration, and we’re really looking forward to sharing all the fun things that are right around the corner. To coincide with the national celebration to raise awareness of issues facing Foster Care, we hope to bring you an in-depth look into how we are addressing the problems.

All the staff that attended the conference had very good things to say about it. Sandy Salave’a stated, “It was very informational. Enjoyed it and I would go again next year. It was interesting to see how other states operate.”

Arlina Wong said, “The collective passion for kids that was brought together in that space was enlightening. It was an honor to be with all those amazing people!”

Alan Castillo expressed, “”I was so grateful to have been given the opportunity to attend the conference. Besides being able to meet some amazing people, I also was able to attend and participate in workshops that has helped to develop my professional and personal life.

The conference has allowed me an opportunity to gain a deeper perspective on foster care that will translate in my presentations and recruitment efforts. I sincerely hope to develop and foster relationships in the community that will result in a deeper awareness of resource care giving and the ways in which an individual can become involved to help support our community and youth in care.”

A thank you goes out to Victoria S. & Bradley L. Geist Foundation for financially supporting the staff to attend the conference and partake in this educational experience.