More Tales From Sand Island

Sand Island Homeless Shelter

A scheduled appointment at 10am on Friday July 21st with the new case manager, Sara, was attended. A two-hour wait for a three-minute meeting that was simply an introduction. The gesture was appreciated nonetheless.

An anonymous haole "guest" had initiated a conversation about a week or so ago. He came to Hawai'i many moons ago to work in the construction industry. A horrific vehicle accident left him with serious permanent injuries which were confirmed by direct observation. Subsequent chats centered on the changes adversely affecting the islands. Then, he disclosed that he was returning home to Georgia on Friday. He will be reunited with friends and family.

Dinner at the Sand Island homeless shelter falls between 5:30pm and 6pm which leaves only a small window of opportunity for participation. Weekends are usually the only time that attendance was feasible due to traffic and time constraints. The need to attend dinners was primarily for minimal exposure to the "guest" population. However, the nutritional value of the meals is questionable, more so given the pre-diabetes problem. At this point in time, attendance at dinner is a low priority.

An anonymous female "guest" mentioned that there are 78 "guests" staying at the Sand Island homeless shelter. Oddly, only the same 15 or so "guests" are seen daily during the time of presence at the facility. Where are the others?

Smoking cigarettes is a major activity at the facility. "Guests" are observed in the designated smoking area all day and night. The cost of a pack of cigarettes is over $10 per pack. Yet, the "guests" seem to have adequate funds to sustain the habit.

There was an initial fear that the housing specialist would expedite housing placement, but that no longer seems to be the case. The anonymous female "guest" was matriculated into the program over a month ago. And, as stated in the previous footnote, many "guest" have been staying at the facility for several months. The anonymous haole "guest" was matriculated in January.

There is actually some kind of governing council comprised of "guests" who collectively make decisions about benign issues. The current president is moving into allegedly permanent housing, so the vice president is replacing her.

The new annex to the facility is slated to open on August 12th. There are six new converted shipping containers for a possible increase of up to 18 "guests." There has been some concern within the ranks of the current "guests" because their needs are apparently not being met right now. What will happen when there are more "guests"?

Tales From Sand Island

Sand Island Homeless Shelter

Keeping a low profile has been maintained. Only one attempt has been made to interact with any of the other "guest." A gregarious Filipino guy, yet anonymous, is the first gateway to understanding the workings of the Sand Island shelter. Yesterday, prior to dinner, he had a run-in with Bobby, an African-American staff member, who was already suspect as being a two-faced dickhead.

The anonymous Filipino buddy was queried this morning in the community tent about the duration of his stay. Two months, he said. He has not been homeless, but was on the verge of homelessness due to complications related to late stage kidney disease. He has retained an attorney to obtain disability benefits and retroactive wages.

Later, an African-American woman and veteran, chatted with the anonymous Filipino buddy. The overhead conversation revealed and substantiated many of the observations made in the past two weeks, some of which are posted in previous footnotes. Overall, she detailed some of the bad conditions at the facility and the problems with the wage slave staff members. Of particular interest, though, was the issue of housing placement. She mentioned that she has been "guest" for three months, the long duration most likely because of problems with obtaining SSI and veteran's benefits.

Problems with the wage slave staff members, incidentally, involve inconsiderate and unprofessional behavior towards "guests." The African-American woman has observed more appalling behavior. Pilfering by wage slave staff of donated hygiene products and food for the "Continental Breakfast" was also witnessed. Wage slave staff should not be confused with case managers and housing specialists. They are low paid workers who are probably close to homelessness more than they are aware.

There are a number of employed "guests," some working at two wage slave jobs, that was confirmed by the African-American woman. Yet, they have not been placed into housing. Thus, there is legitimate cause for concern. More investigation is necessary.

As more stories from Sand Island are heard, the latter will be posted in the footnotes. More observations, as discovered, will also be posted.

Fuck It Friday - 5

Fuck It Friday (FIF)! Sporadic news and commentary of no interest to anyone ... FIF! The Sand Island homeless shelter is the primary focus of this edition.

Two weeks have elapsed since the initial matriculation into the Sand Island homeless shelter. The original feelings of despair have subsided. Now, a subdued elation has superceded the latter. A feeling of freedom, true freedom, has come to the forefront. So much so that the original priority of finding "permanent" senior citizen housing has been sublimated. Fuck it!

There are numerous inconveniences associated with homeless shelter living ... the tiny "guest" cell, the long walk to the communal bathrooms, the need to store possessions in the homeless motorhome, the noise from the adjacent shipping ports. Yet, none of those inconveniences have detracted from the elation of perceived freedom. Fuck it!

The Sand Island facility is the "four-star" homeless shelter on the island, although people on the outside would find the environment totally dismal, almost pitifully laughable. Yet, the humble campus begets individual humility.

Humility has been a core byproduct of the whole experience. Becoming a documented homeless person is the equivalent of a public declaration of extremely poverty and full exposure as a member of the lowest caste of society. In that respect, the objective has been met.

There is, of course, now the possibility that expedited housing placement will occur. Such a prospect has generated much anxiety and melancholia. The return to the dreadful existence of the rank-and-file is, and has always been, unacceptable. Fuck it!

Changes in Venue

Coffee time at the various fast food joints in town and at Zippys in Hawai'i Kai has been mummified for the duration of stay at the Sand Island homeless shelter. Coffee time will now be observed at the Sand Island homeless shelter during "Continental Breakfast."

Dinner at various venues will be curbed in favor of the meal served at the Sand Island homeless shelter (although a large salad will still be procured to balance the meal). Incidentally, there seems to be no correlation between the types of meals and pre-diabetes symptoms as alleged in a previous footnote.

The aforementioned revisions are subject to change at any time without notice.

Appointments

Two appointments back-to-back this morning with case manager and housing specialist at the Sand Island homeless shelter. Lots of paperwork. So, a paper trail has definitely been created. In other words, homelessness has been fully documented.

The housing specialist has outlined a fast-track plan involving initial placement in conventional senior citizen housing while concurrently commencing the process for HUD (30% of income) housing. Section 8 vouchers may also be an option. Exit from the facility may occur before the end of the month.

There are a number of long-term "guests" at the Sand Island homeless shelter. As it turns out, all of them have various disabilities that prohibit placement in housing that lacks 24-hour supervision. Hence, they may remain "guests" indefinitely. The housing specialist stated that there are no plans to recruit more of those special needs "guests"since the facility is supposed to be a "housing navigation" center.

The meeting with the case manager continued to increase the size of the paper trail. The case manager is there to provide assistance for issues aside from housing. At this point in time, no such issues exist.

The Nissan® Quest minivan has continued to serve as homeless motorhome. Worldly possessions are still stored inside. Many daily tasks have also been reassigned to mobile deployment.

The stay at the Sand Island homeless shelter has been a humbling experience and one that has increased personal clarity. In some respects, eventually moving out of the facility will be a sad affair. As odd as it may seem, the facility is the best "close to home" in a long time.

More Diet Modifications

The possibility of moving toward the consumption of more vegetable salads is increasing as there appears to be some kind of ingredient in Panda Express® cuisine that triggers frequent nocturnal urination. That's the theory anyway. Even junk food doesn't cause the problem. In any case, a temporary moratorium on Panda Express® will be invoked as a trial.

Since the new daytime staging area for the Nissan® Quest minivan is Kahala Mall, the option of procuring supposedly wholesome meals from Whole Foods® is viable. Expensive, but delicious.

Psyllium has been reinstated as an adjunctive supplement to curb LDL cholesterol. Psyllium is good source of soluble fiber, so it offsets carbohydrate intake as well (reducing blood sugar).

Life on Sand Island

There is no question that the Sand Island homeless shelter is not a resort or spa. It is a transitional shelter for chronic homeless people. Yet, it is oddly comfortable. Aside from the amenities detailed in the previous footnote, there are few other perks. Two meals are served daily, a small "Continental Breakfast" in the morning and dinner in the early evening (three full meals are available at the Iwilei homeless shelter as an option). There is even a barbeque area with gas grills. Small cooking appliances are available in the community tent as well.

Community Tent at Night

In addition, the "guests" are not required to leave the facility during work hours on weekdays. Yet, there is no compelling reason to stay there during the day.

Unfortunately, there are no laundry facilities available. So, dirty laundry must be transported to an off-site laundromat. The cost of performing laundry chores at laundromats in the area is prohibitive. Thus, laundry chores will be lengthened to two weeks.

One aspect of the stay at the Sand Island homeless shelter has been the need to relearn humility. In all honesty, that goal is slowly being attained. In empire, there is no lower class of people than the homeless. Impoverishment, high reliance on entitlement programs, and the need for social services separates the homeless strata from the rest of "mainstream society."

The homeless strata is free of the usual trivial and malignant concerns of the rest of "society," although it is not free of its own kind of problems. A safe assumption, though, is that the majority of the homeless desire to move "up" to the next caste, although unbeknownst to them is the sickening trap that awaits them.

The stay at the Sand Island homeless shelter has invoked some real "soul-searching." The issue of mortality remains at the forefront. The fear of "permanent” housing, especially senior citizen housing, is strongly correlated to the concept of the "home" really being a mausoleum in disguise.

Sand Island Homeless Shelter

Matriculation into the homeless navigation program at the Sand Island homeless shelter was completed on June 30th. A small cell was assigned, one of three per converted shipping container (refer to pictures in Twitter® feed).

Sand Island Homeless Shelter

The first full night was fraught with numerous policy violations committed by various "guests." Only one "guest," apparently drunken and disorderly, was escorted off the facility.

Noise is the focal point of the facility, both internal and external. "Guests" were milling around all night long. The designated cigarette smoking area continually hosted numerous "guests." Outside the facility, the entire composition of Sand Island is heavy industry. Major shipping ports are also stationed there. The Daniel Inouye International Airport is a stone's throw away. So, high-decibel noise is constant. Quality sleep is an issue.

The Sand Island homeless shelter was constructed on an industrial site. No telling what kind of toxic waste exists in the soil of the artificially created island. Air quality, though, is good.

Community Tent

A community tent sits in the middle of the facility. A small LCD tube is available to view a surprising number of premium channels. A "Terra Nova" marathon ensued for two days. Unrestricted wireless Net access is also available in the community tent. The range of the Wi-Fi transceiver actually covered some of the cells.

“Guest” Quarters

The cells for single "guests" are small. A small cot is provided, which takes up half of the space. There is a small window, too small for adequate ventilation. However, a secure mesh screen door enables the cell occupant to leave the door open for increased ventilation.

Four full bathrooms and six small "porta-john" units are separately located. Waking up to "drain the lizard" is a cumbersome process, but workable.

An air-conditioned trailer is provided for the staff. Someone is on duty 24 hours per day in the office. Some staff members are quite friendly and helpful. A small minority appear to be lightly hostile.

The "guests" are an eclectic mix, but there clearly is no question that they have previously been on the streets or motorhomeless. A casual observer may become confused concerning the viability and possibility of placing any of them in permanent housing. Only time will tell.