Our next Interfaith Communities in Action meeting will be Tuesday, April 24th at 7pm. We will be meeting at the Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin, 398 Kilauea Ave., Hilo. (Located next to the Kilauea Starbucks.)

Denby Toci, MA, Child and Family Services Program director, will speak on the topic of Preventing Violence in the Home. Denby is a strong advocate in our community and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to hear her mana'o on this important topic. 

We will also continue to discuss the state of homelessness and our efforts to end family homelessness in the County.

All are welcome to attend.

Re: Bill 110
April 16, 2018
Mayor Harry Kim
Members of the Hawai’i County Council

Respected friends:

We greet you as representatives of faith communities living, working, and worshiping in East Hawai’i: Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, Baha’I, Unitarian Universalists. Members of our faith communities teach in our schools, staff the counters of our shops, build our homes, and grow our food. We are deeply concerned for the welfare of our neighbors, and so we unite through Interfaith Communities in Action.

We are deeply concerned at the reduction in funding for homeless families and individuals contained in the current budget proposal before the Council.

In the budget for fiscal year (FY) 2016-17, the County allocated $276,375.00 to programs that provide shelter and sustenance to homeless people. In the last budget, FY 2017-18, the funding dropped by 61% to $106,125. In the proposal before you for FY 2018-19, the funding declines to $65,437.50. That is less than one quarter of what it had been two years ago.

Less than one quarter – and we are told that addressing the needs of the homeless is a priority for this administration. The numbers say otherwise.

Friends, these funding levels represent real suffering. There will be cuts in services. There will be fewer available beds. There will be more people camping in the woods or sheltering from the rain in doorways.

The proposals of Mayor Caldwell in Honolulu, relying on police to move people from one place to another, serve only to perpetuate the problem and deepen the suffering. People homeless because of an illness or loss of a job will face the additional burden of prosecution and a criminal record. They will have fewer opportunities for employment. 
And because people homeless as children tend to be homeless when they have children as well, it will perpetuate a cycle of suffering.

The Buddha declared compassion to be the chief virtue of human life. The ancient Hebrew Scriptures required provision for the poor. Jesus, who lived as homeless during his ministry, called love for neighbor a commandment second only to love for God.

On this island of Hawai’i, in this land of aloha, we urge you to restore funding for agencies serving the homeless, and to increase it so that we have some opportunity to interrupt the cycle and find safe shelter for all our island’s residents as soon as may be.

We offer our prayers for you and your families, and that you may find the wisdom you need to choose well as you serve.

Sincerely yours,

The ICIA Steering Committee

(View the pdf of the letter submitted to the County Council by clicking the link below.)

Our next Interfaith Communities in Action meeting will be Tuesday, March 27th at 7pm. We will be meeting at the Ponahawai Church of the Latter-Day Saints, 522 Ponahawai St., Hilo. 

Rick Troth will make a presentation on Quaker peace making. The presentation will be followed by a discussion. The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) are one of the traditional Peace Churches in the United States and have a strong commitment to non-violence.. 

In addition to our discussion of Peace and Peace Making we will also get updates on the ICIA's ongoing work to address family homelessness in our community.

All are welcome to attend.

Join the Interfaith Communities in Action on Friday, March 16, 2018 at 7pm for a lively and timely panel discussion on, "Interfaith Responses to: Racism, Fear, and Injustice." Our Panelist include Rev. Katlin McCallister, Rev. Linda Petrucelli, Dr. David Kekaulike Sing, and Dr. George Tanabe.

The event will be held at the Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin, 398 Kilauae Ave. It is FREE and open to the public.

Please join us for our monthly Interfaith Communities in Action meeting at 7 pm on Tuesday, February 27th at Neighborhood Place of Puna, 16-105 Opukahaia St., in Keaau.

This is our annual membership meeting. So we will be electing new officers and steering committee members. We also reflect on our successes and look for ways to continue to grow our ever stronger community of socially engaged churches an communities of faith.

There will be updates on our continuing work to end family homelessness in Hawaii County.

We will be making final arrangements for our upcoming panel discussion entitled, "Interfaith Responses to Racism, Fear, and Injustice."

​All are Welcome!

Please join the December monthly meeting of the Interfaith Communities in Action at 7 pm on Tuesday, December 5th at the Church of the Holy Cross, 440 E. Lanikaula St. in Hilo.

Patrick Hurney, the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Hawaii Island will be sharing  plans for their 2018 Blitz Build in East Hawaii.

The Interfaith Communities in Action is committed to Ending Family Homelessness in Hawaii County. Habitat offers a unique model, based on Christian Principles, for building homes and increasing home ownership for those who otherwise could not afford a home. They are committed to eliminating substandard housing while promoting fair and just housing policies.

All are welcome!

Join us at 9 am on Friday, December 1st in the OHCD conference room at 1990 Kinoole St. as we continue our Interfaith work to END Family Homelessness in Hawaii County by the end of 2018.

There are currently forty homeless families on the Island who are waiting to be housed. These are families that need homes. Surely, we, as people of faith, can figure out a way to house forty families.

If you want to help end family homelessness in Hawaii County, then please join us on Friday, December 1st. For more information, info@interfaithhawaii.org.

Join us for our Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving at 7 pm on Tuesday, November 21st at Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin temple, 398 Kilauea St. in Hilo.

This will be a musical celebration with performances by choirs from a broad range of denominations and faith traditions. The theme for this years event is, "A Place at the Table."

All are welcome! This event is FREE and open to the public.

​The Interfaith Communities in Action continues it’s series on Global Climate Change with a talk by Representative Joy San Buenaventura at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 24th at Sangha Hall, 398 Kilauea Ave., Hilo.

Representative San Buenaventura will be discussing legislative and statewide initiatives to address Global Climate Change, reducing the use of fossil fuels in Hawaii, and moving us towards more sustainable ways of generating electricity.
​
Global Climate Change is real. It is one of the most important spiritual and moral challenges of the twenty first century.

Churches and religious institutions – of all faiths – are uniquely positioned to provide the visionary and spiritual leadership necessary to address this global crisis that transcends nations, ethnicity, and cultures.

It is our hope that Representative Joy San Buenaventura's presentation will help our community and our churches discover ways that we can take direct action to minimize the impacts from Global Climate Change.

Please join us for this important presentation and discussion.

​The Interfaith Communities in Action will be holding a prayer vigil for the victims of the Las Vegas Massacre.  The vigil will take place at 5 p.m. on Sunday, October 15th at Church of the Holy Cross, 440 W. Lanikaula St, Hilo.
 
​This is an opportunity to come together as a community and share our grief and our prayers. The service will be simple and open to people of all faiths.