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A Home for the Holidays and Beyond

Honolulu Habitat for Humanity

A home for the holidays is a gift that can seem next to impossible here in the islands, especially for those of us with limited budgets.  Affordable housing remains one of the biggest issues facing Hawai?i residents. But one organization is dedicating a home this holiday season, and vows to build more homes than ever in the coming years. HPR’s Ku?uwehi Hiraishi has this story.

68-year-old Leve Watson remembers wanting to have a home ever since he was a little boy growing up in Palama.

Credit Habitat for Humanity Honolulu
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Habitat for Humanity Honolulu
Habitat for Humanity volunteers put up the first wall of Leve Watson's home in Kane'ohe.

“Our family was interested in going and getting a home and it was exciting,” says Palama, “Unfortunately, that didn’t work out but all my life I’ve always wanted a home. “

Watson got that chance by working with affordable housing non-profit Habitat for Humanity Honolulu. The organization offers affordable housing options to low-income residents through a combination of zero-interest mortgages and a host of volunteer labor.

Credit Habitat for Humanity Honolulu
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Habitat for Humanity Honolulu
Level Watson (third from the left) poses alongside volunteers who worked on his home.

“I found it most rewarding. First of all to come to know people that share of their time, talents and their energies,” says Watson.

Nearly 400 volunteers put in over 3,000 volunteer hours on Watson’s 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom home in K?ne?ohe. Honolulu Habitat’s Executive Director Jim Murphy says Watson’s home is the 78th house the organization has built since they began in 1988.

Credit Honolulu Habitat for Humanity
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Honolulu Habitat for Humanity
Watson's home is the 78th house built by Habitat for Humanity Honolulu since it began in 1988.

“Which means that we’ve been building at an average of two point something a year,” says Murphy, “And while that is incredibly impactful to the families that are living in those houses, it’s not really doing anything to solve the affordable housing issues here on O?ahu.”

Honolulu Habitat is one of two Habitats serving O?ahu. They service everywhere east of K?nia Road, including North Shore, Windward O?ahu, and all of Honolulu.

“We feel that it’s our mission to step-up our game a little bit and build more and be more creative about how we do it.,” says Murphy, “So we set a goal to build 40 houses in five years, starting in 2018. “

Credit Honolulu Habitat for Humanity
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Honolulu Habitat for Humanity
Honolulu Habitat Executive Director Jim Murphy (left) and Operations Manager TJ Joseph (right) at a community event in Papakolea. Since joining the organization a little over three years ago, Murphy has committed to increasing the organization's visibility and community outreach efforts.

Murphy says the biggest challenge was finding potential homeowners but the numbers are growing.

“We know now that we’ve gone out to the community at large that we’ve got 12 families that we’ve got approved for projects in the coming year or so, and another 20 families in the process and those are just families that we’ve identified,” says Murphy, “We know that there are dozens more of them.”

Honolulu Habitat will be using Watson’s recently completed home as an opportunity to bring in potential Habitat families. TJ Joseph is Honolulu Habitat’s Operations Manager.

“What we’d like to do is called a Home Preview– it’s the opportunity for anyone in the community, especially those who are applying with us to see a finished Habitat home,” says Joseph.

Credit Honolulu Habitat for Humanity
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Honolulu Habitat for Humanity
The public is invited to preview the recently finished home in Kane'ohe this Thursday, with home dedication ceremony set for Saturday.

The home preview is set for Thursday and home dedication set for Saturday. As for Watson, he’s been spending the past week packing up his old apartment and preparing for the big move.

“I must admit I’m very scared. But I guess I’ll make my adjustments. Realize that it’s a blessing,” says Watson, “Just being so grateful to having a home. It’s a home! Finally! A home.”

For more information on the Home Preview event, click here. To volunteer or become a partner family visit HonoluluHabitat.org

Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi is a general assignment reporter at Hawaiʻi Public Radio. Her commitment to her Native Hawaiian community and her fluency in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi has led her to build a de facto ʻōiwi beat at the news station. Send your story ideas to her at khiraishi@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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