Projects

Homesharing Hawaiʻi program – Sharing one home can change two lives on Oʻahu.

Together we can make a difference. Homesharing Hawai‘i is a way to increase wellness, connect, inspire-share-exchange experience, knowledge and skills across generations, end isolation, assure more people can safely age at home, and add more affordable homes on O‘ahu.

HINʻs Homesharing Hawai‘i finds home owners and seekers who are compatible and interested in sharing a home. We assist with background checks, introductions and follow-up.

For more information, visit HINʻs Homesharing Hawaiʻi website.

Projects In Development

-HIN is submitting a proposal to develop an intergenerational center with child care and adult day services on Oʻahu

-Directory of intergenerational programs and organizations in Hawaiʻi

-Keiki and Kupuna photo contest

Accomplishments

In its 26-year history, the HIN has developed and managed multiple projects that benefited both public and private organizations. The projects advocated for improving the perception of aging from one that emphasizes deficits to one that is asset-based. They also developed projects to recruit older adults into public service at public and private educational institutions. A few of the more significant projects are described as follows.

From 2000-2006, HIN worked with the Parent Community Networking Centers (PCNC) of six public schools to implement a senior mentoring project called FELLOWS (Fellowship, Education, Lifelong Learning, Opportunities). At the completion of HIN’s support of the FELLOWS project its operations continued with a pool of 25 volunteers thus demonstrating sustainability is possible once a program is established. In 2005-2009, HIN sent 19 elders to teach English to the Elder-Kids Playclub at the Ohana English Preschool in Yokohama, Japan. The kupuna called it the opportunity of a lifetime.

From 2008-2010, HIN developed the Senior Kupuna In Preschool Project (SKIPP) that demonstrated a senior mentoring strategy to assist preschool aged children having emotional or behavioral difficulties. Financial support of $260,000 from a state GIA supported the project that worked with 80 special needs children aged 2-5 years-old in nine preschools. From 2000-2017, HIN supported multiple projects at the Seagull Schools Child and Adult Day Care Center at Kapolei where 240 children and 60 older adults interacted on a daily basis. From 1990-2020, Seagull Schools employed approximately 18 Foster Grandparents each year to work in the preschool classrooms. Chuck Larson, then the Executive Director of Seagull Schools, commented that he often heard the kupuna say that it was the best job they ever had.

More recently in 2019 the HIN Board of Directors began developing a home sharing project for Oahu, Homesharing Hawaii, that is based on existing projects in more than 50 U.S. cities.  The National Shared Housing Resource Center provided HIN a comprehensive guide to plan and implement a new home sharing program that HIN tailored for Hawaii.

In FY 2020 and FY 2021 HIN received grants totaling $100,000 from HMSA, Kaiser and Atherton Family Foundation.  September 2019 HIN selected a part-time contractor to set up and direct the home sharing project.  In July 2020, HIN added two part-time contractors, an outreach and volunteer coordinator and a website and social media coordinator.