Cathedral of St. Andrew
Social Justice Ministry Annual Report 2014 Kathryn Xian, Chair of Social Justice Ministry at St. Andrew’s Cathedral
SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRIES AT ST. ANDREWS –ANNUAL REPORT Table of Contents SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRIES AT ST. ANDREWS JUSTICE RETREAT – THE HAWAIIAN WAY ...................................................................................................... 2 CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS.......................................................................................................... 3 July 24th – Bills (Temporarily) Deferred Seeking to Criminalize Homelessness ......................................... 3 IHS and FACE Supporting the Criminalization of Homelessness ................................................................ 3 The Unconstitutionality of Honolulu's Proposed Bills ............................................................................... 4 HURRICANE EVACUATION AND EMERGENCY HOUSING ............................................................................... 5 EMPOWERING GIRLS...................................................................................................................................... 5 The Distinguished Young Women’s Program ............................................................................................ 5 WORKSHOPS .................................................................................................................................................. 6 A Space of Our Own – Youth Workshops................................................................................................... 6 Victory Garden Workshop.......................................................................................................................... 7 FOSTERING GOD’S CREATION ........................................................................................................................ 7 Second Phase of Emalani Garden Begins ................................................................................................... 7 INCREASING THE FAITH.................................................................................................................................. 8 Bringing God’s Children Home ................................................................................................................... 8 SERVICES TO OUR HOUSELESS ‘OHANA ......................................................................................................... 8 Assisting Houseless Families in Kakaako .................................................................................................... 8 HOUSELESS SERVICES MEET-AND-GREET .................................................................................................. 8 SHARE THE MERRY ..................................................................................................................................... 9 MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT ............................................................................................................................ 9 HEALTH CARE AND BASIC NEEDS ............................................................................................................. 10
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JUSTICE RETREAT – THE HAWAIIAN WAY
On June 14th 2014, Social Justice Ministry of St. Andrew’s Cathedral hosted an all-day justice retreat at the Ka‘ala Farms Learning Center in Waianae. The retreat offered congregants, clergy, staff, and volunteers the opportunity to learn about the significance of doing social justice work specifically in Hawaii and the Kanaka Ma'oli way of life. This transformative event creates the reconnection to the ‘aina, which we sometimes forget, during our busy lives in Honolulu.
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CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS Social Justice Ministries engaged in an educational project informing the public of the need to re-humanize displaced families and houseless persons on Oahu. This project was prompted by recent City and Mayoral efforts to criminalize this vulnerable population with the support of IHS. July 24th – Bills (Temporarily) Deferred Seeking to Criminalize Homelessness Members of the community were able after a petition, social media campaign, and dozens of testimonies in getting the City Council to temporarily defer all the bills seeking to criminalize houselessness. Members of the Diocese who submitted testimony included: Kahu Kaleo, Kahu Steve, Fr. Brian Grieves, Fr. David Geirlach, Dean Walter Brownridge, Ha'aheo Guanson, Annabel Murray from St. Clement's, and myself. The Martin 'ohana, a homeless family, was present to testify. It was their daughter's 3rd birthday. They had most of the City Council in tears with their testimony. Unfortunately, this show of emotion did not last and the City Council passed the bills anyway. Hawaii News Now: http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/26039725/former-pearl-city-family-says-citys-efforts-to-endhomelessness-is-hurting-not-helping The Martin family’s testimony: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOIu_xHVE1k Rev. Steve Costa’s testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6cBJL3Dgjc Annabel Murray’s testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdtM-qjUDJQ Kathryn Xian’s testimony: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef1sZr4pO1U&list=PLpuR67BLmK3Q_Ef5jRc7GPiIZg-Nbq42x&index=9 The City Council re-introduced these bills and those which succeeded in passing into law were Bill 42 and Bill 48. The City continues to engage in homeless raids wherein which they confiscate and dispose of necessities such as identification, social security cards, and birth certificates, all of which are needed in obtaining housing services or other needs such as medication, jobs, and loans. Social Justice Ministry strongly opposes these laws as they are the most costly and most ineffective way of addressing houselessness and only succeed in dispersing houseless populations and prevents the communication of this population from outreach services. IHS and FACE Supporting the Criminalization of Homelessness Mayor Caldwell, Connie Mitchell of HIS, and Drew Astolfi of FACE, have publicly endorsed policies that criminalize the houseless through Sit-Lie laws. However, the City has not provided adequate housing or Page 3 of 10
public restrooms to accommodate the growing number of people in poverty. FACE’s executive director contends that Sit-Lie laws actually work as “part of a comprehensive plan” that solves houselessness. According to our research and available data from studies from other cities, as well as our experience working with the local houseless population, Sit-Lie is not effective and does not work to solve houselessness in any way, either as part of a comprehensive plan or not. With regard to IHS, this shelter does not have adequate bed space available for the entire unsheltered population of over 1700, and many choose not to accept shelter at IHS for very valid reasons, such as bed bugs, cruel or discriminatory treatment, and high fees ranging from $90 to $400 per person/month. Without any option to put the houseless population, laws that criminalizing the houseless population are clearly unconstitutional. The only alternative upon such violations, according to such policies, is incarceration in prison for these non-violent offenses which we believe to be cruel and unusual punishment for impoverishment. Waikiki Big Businesses have offered IHS $500,000 annually, which may be why IHS is supporting such a cruel plan to criminalize 'ohana in need. During the Civil Beat Forum with Jerry Coffee of IHS erroneously states that 40% of the homeless population are from the mainland (in truth, only 6-8% of the total houseless population is from the mainland, living in Hawaii less than 1 year according to the UHM Center on the Family’s Homeless Services Utilization Report 2013 and 2014). Coffee also erroneously states that City raids incentivize the homeless population to seek services, which is untrue. He also misleads the public by stating that the fee for retrieving belongings taken from the City is $20. In fact, it is $200, if the belongings are even stored at all, which many times they are not, in clear violation of the state and federal constitution. View the Civil Beat Forum here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMo_9ouq_-k The Unconstitutionality of Honolulu's Proposed Bills These Honolulu "Sit-Lie" bills are modeled after a Seattle law, which Mayor Caldwell said was ruled "constitutional" by the Ninth Circuit Court. Although, the Seattle Sit-Lie law was found Constitutional on its face (or "as written") by the Ninth Circuit Court, what was not publicized was the fact that the Ninth Circuit ALSO said that future "as applied" challenges to the law would be successful (Cooter, et al, p. 6). "As applied" refers to the acts that are committed when a law is practically applied, for instance, applied to discriminating against houseless persons. Many laws pass that are seen as constitutional "as written" but are the exact opposite when applied in the real world, such as Citizens United, Separate But Equal, and the Hobby Lobby. Sit-Lie laws are no exception. They are clearly unconstitutional. These future violations that these potential laws represent would be in addition to Hawaii State Constitutional violations which are more expansive than the Ninth Circuit Constitutional parameters. Lawsuits would be costly to the City, at the taxpayers expense, not including Page 4 of 10
costs to implement these bills including, court, incarceration, ER visits, and new training for law enforcement personnel. Read the full report from the UC Berkeley Law School Policy Law Clinic: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2165490
HURRICANE EVACUATION AND EMERGENCY HOUSING During hurricanes Iselle and Ana, the Social Justice Ministry led over 20 volunteers with two vans, three trucks, and five cars successfully evacuated over 65 people, mostly children ranging in ages of 1 week to 16 years old. It took our volunteer crew from 10:00am to 7:00pm with a break between 12:00pm to 3:00pm to mobilize all families to shelter (5 hours total, approximate duration). Other churches involved: St. Elizabeth, St. Clement. Davies Hall housed 3-5 families who were well fed and supervised. We utilized the Emalani Organic Garden for their meals and obtained food donations from the public. Red Cross and the City & County of Honolulu were only able to open emergency shelters at 10pm, which would have made it difficult and potentially dangerous to mobilize families at night. Red Cross shelters provided no food, cots, or water for families. Better evacuation plans for the City and Red Cross, specific to displaced families and houseless individuals, are recommended.
EMPOWERING GIRLS The Distinguished Young Women’s Program For the second year in a row, Social Justice Ministry of St. Andrew’s Cathedral has been a proud host of the Distinguished Young Women’s Program (DYW) training for its national championship and scholarship award. Formerly known as Hawaii’s Junior Miss program, a bright young woman is chosen for a four-year scholarship to Hawaii Pacific University and the opportunity to compete in the Page 5 of 10
national competition in Alabama. Social Justice Ministry hosts DYW’s mock interview training for the national competition and engages the girls in educational opportunities to learn this history of St. Andrew’s and about the Emalani Organic Garden. This year, participants planted a fig tree in honor of Queen Emma, contributing to the landscape of the garden.
WORKSHOPS A Space of Our Own – Youth Workshops Space of Our Own is a program through the Social Justice Ministries at St Andrews Cathedral. The mission is to provide a safe space for the youth of the community to express themselves and to create. We believe all youth, regardless of socioeconomic status, should have access to art and we strive to accomplish this through monthly events. During our three workshops so far this year we have served over 30 kids from the Next Step and Institute for Human Services shelters. The activities we participated in included: drumming, dancing, creating art, writing, cooking, yoga and watching a film. Per the United Nations: “Empowering people is an essential first step to eradicating poverty. It respects the willingness and capability that each of us has to take charge of our own life and to seek out opportunities to make it better.” 1 Through our workshops we strive to promote empowerment. In each workshop we have included space for healthy activities, communication and self-reflection. For example, in Our “Healthy Bodies” workshop we warmed up with yoga with and a discussion around how to handle stressful situations. We took the kids into the Emalani Community Garden and discussed the importance of healthy foods and how they nourish the body. We watched a youth theater production about food in Hawaii. We ended with time for the youth to journal about their accomplishments. Our goal was to empower the youth to learn about the importance of their health while getting to create and have fun.
1
Resources for Speakers, Global Issues, Africa, Ageing, Agriculture, Aids, Atomic Energy, Children, Climate Change, Culture, Decolonization, Demining, Development, Disabilities, Disarmament, Environment, Food, Governance, Humanitarian, Refugees, Women." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 19 Aug. 2014.
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Victory Garden Workshop Learn all you need to know to start and maintain an edible garden at your home or community space! This 4-week intensive course covered Planning, Getting Started, Managing Pests, and Harvesting. We taught scientifically proven regenerative methods that go beyond organic and promote a healthy soil food web. Second course to was held in late October 2014
FOSTERING GOD’S CREATION Second Phase of Emalani Garden Begins The Emalani Organic Community Garden project of the Social Justice Ministries of St. Andrew’s Cathedral which promotes community health and wellness through access to free organic produce and educational gatherings. The Emalani Organic Community Garden is a collaborative community project organized by the Social Justice Ministry of St. Andrew's Cathedral Honolulu. Our purpose is to provide a welcoming and affirming space for all community members to plant, mālama, and gather organic produce as well as share seeds, dialogue about food and wellness and host educational gatherings. The Emalani Organic Community Garden Facebook page has over 445 members: www.facebook.com/emalanigarden
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INCREASING THE FAITH Bringing God’s Children Home On November 2nd 2014, 3-year-old Thalia Martin, a formerly houseless child was brought into God’s ‘ohana and baptized by Dean Walter Brownridge during the Hawaiian service morning mass. Nearly a month later Social Justice Ministry with the help of PASS, a local nonprofit, assisted Thalia and her family into a permanent home. They had been houseless for over a year, living in a tent in Kakaako park, due to a heart attack suffered by Thalia’s father disabling him from working. Social Justice Ministry has continued to provide services for this family along with many others and currently focuses on applying Thalia into preschool programs with scholarships. (Pictured to the right is the Martin ‘ohana at Thalia’s baptism rehearsal on November 1st 2014).
SERVICES TO OUR HOUSELESS ‘OHANA Assisting Houseless Families in Kakaako Since the City Council and Mayor passed Bill 42, banning sitting and lying down in Waikiki, and Bills 48 and 62, banning sitting a lying in downtown malls and other sidewalks across Oahu, a significant increase of houseless persons and families with children has begun to occur in the Kakaako area. There are now over 300 houseless individuals and families living houseless at Kakaako park, many of them children under 16. The Social Justice Ministry has coordinated outreach efforts in this district to assist houseless families in need with basic needs, housing assistance, access to health care, legal services, social services, and protection from harmful and disruptive City raids. To join the Social Justice Crew on this organizing effort (over 600 Facebook members and counting), visit: www.facebook.com/groups/EndPovertyHNL HOUSELESS SERVICES MEET-AND-GREET On December 3rd 2014, with the help of Senator Suzanne Chun-Oakland, we organized the largest social services meet-and-greet with residents. Sen. Chun-Oakland mentioned in an email to thank the services after the event, [We have] "built new relationships that will lead to permanent housing. There were people who were reconnected with QUEST coverage, will have the opportunity to receive life-saving medical services and medication, now will be able to feed their infant nutritious meals, will be able to obtain new Page 8 of 10
state identification and passports, and, as one person shared with me, have been given hope again." These meetings will continue into 2015. SHARE THE MERRY On December 20th 2014 Social Justice Ministry helped coordinate the very successful “Share the Merry� event, captured by KHON, bringing together over 30 local businesses and nonprofits. We organized donations of food, school supplies, toiletries, other basic goods, and Christmas presents for the keiki. The event included and artmaking booth, games for kids, and Santa Claus! View the news coverage here: http://khon2.com/2014/12/20/pop-up-potluckoffers-free-food-and-gifts-to-kakaakos-homeless/
MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT On December 23rd 2014, the Amnesty International of Honolulu chapter, led by Social Justice member Beatriz Cantelmo organized a fun-filled kids movie night which lightened up all the keiki, held at the Protohub.
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HEALTH CARE AND BASIC NEEDS Throughout the month of December, along with IN THE STREETS and the UH Medical School’s HOME Project, we helped several houseless families get the health care they needed. Raina, a Social Justice Ministry member who runs IN THE STREETS, was able to help a youth get to an emergency center to discover, in the nick of time, a potentially serious condition which may have led to a life-threatening kidney infection. We were also able to aid three children to get health care from the HOME Project and ascertain a serious staph infection, for which they received treatment. Congregant of St. Elizabeth’s Church, Annabel Murray, another Social Justice member, helped organize the access to medical care and school transportation of a houseless youth who broke her foot in a serious fall. Fellow Episcopalian Beth-Ann Koslovich, who also hosts Hawaii Public Radio’s The Conversation, also assisted the youth and her younger brother with rides to and from school. Kakaako kids also received complimentary sun-safety hats from HiSky Hats, founded by the brave Skylar Soares, beneficiary of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The families received free chemical-free, organic antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral soap made by Pono Soap, started by Social Justice Ministry Chair, Kathryn Xian.
A note to our Social Justice Crew from a thankful Kakaako youth. Mahalo to St. Andrew’s Cathedral for the funding to continue this work! Page 10 of 10