HONOLULU- As families throughout Hawaii celebrated Thanksgiving a group of people in Kakaako are thankful for one man's vision to help fight homelessness
Utu Langi has transformed six buses donated by Roberts Hawaii into homes on wheels, calling it The Evan’s Project. The buses were gutted and transformed into sleeping quarters with the help of volunteers.
“We're looking to reach out to those that are homeless and living out on the streets with no income at all or very little income,” said Langi, a longtime homeless advocate and executive director of Hawaii Helping the Homeless Have Hope, or H5 Hawaii.
The buses are parked on a piece of state owned land located makai of Ala Moana Boulevard next to Forrest Avenue. Langi pays nothing to use the land and the program is completely self-sustaining.
“Give us work opportunities and we're going to be able to do it that way,” he says. “You don't have to give us grants to do this type of work.”
Instead of a government handout, Langi has signed two multi-year janitorial contracts with the Hawaii Community Development Authority and the Waikiki Health Center, a non-profit organization which manages The Next Step homeless shelter nearby. Both contracts are worth about $450,000.
As part of the agreements, most of the residents who call The Evan’s Project home are charged with cleaning Kakaako Waterfront Park and Kewalo Basin every morning, seven days a week.
“I'm so proud of it,” says Langi. “This is the cleanest this place has ever been in years and I'm looking forward to getting more and more job opportunities like that.”
Work resulting from the two contracts helps teach valuable skills to Evan’s Project residents like Robert Revels. Revels, 60, was living out in the open at Ala Moana Beach Park, but after two-and-a-half years at Evan’s, he’s become Langi’s right hand man.
“It's made me a better person,” said Revels. “One thing that I love is we're helping people.”
“He took it and ran with it,” Langi said of the opportunity given to Revels. “Now he's one of my top staff here, but he also leads our work program in taking care of the park.”
The buses that are used to provide shelter serve both singles and families. Those with eight beds are used to house men and women separately, while those with two beds are set aside for families.
“It's wow brah,” Langi said of people’s reaction when they first step on board a bus. “They're very thankful about it and they cannot believe that in a bus they can have a good comfortable bed to be in and really stretch out.”
The Evan’s Project also provides residents a full outdoor kitchen, laundry service, and showers three days a week at Next Step. Currently, six children call the buses home.
“When they get out of school they can come over here (and) do their homework,” said Revels. “They do what they need and they're not on the street.”
Just last month The Evan’s Project welcomed its newest member, a baby born to one of the residents. Ironically, the baby was born on October 15, the same birthday as her godfather, Robert Revels.
“I was just speechless,” said Revels, the proud godfather. “It was just chicken skin.”
Of course, the mother already had a name in mind for the new baby – she called her ‘Evans.’
“Very proud of that,” said a beaming Langi. “It's kind of a continuance; that’s why I continue to do this type of work.”
In order to do even more, all Langi needs is more rent-free land. He has another twelve buses waiting to be transformed into homes.
“All we need is property right now so we can put more buses in.”
One man’s vision – a lot to be thankful for.
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