Alumnus Encounter

A chance encounter with a Sand Island homeless shelter alumnus occurred at the bus stop in town this afternoon after the usual gym workout. Charlie was a next-door neighbor, so to speak. He’s been out for about 5 months now and residing in an apartment in Kalihi Valley. Rent is $70 per month as 70% of his actual rent is subsidized by the “rent to work” program. Charlie actually found the rental on his own. Unfortunately, the “rent to work” program only provides assistance for a year. However, Charlie is confident that he’ll manage just fine.

Sand Island Homeless Shelter

When queried about some of the other “guests” that were at the Sand Island homeless shelter a few months ago during the infamous homeless tenure, Charlie said that they were either “shipped off to Barbers Point (Kapolei transitional shelters)” or to an undisclosed transitional shelter on Isenberg Street in the McCully district. So, the rumor about eventually being “shipped off” was true. The gist of the tale is that Charlie had returned to the Sand Island homeless shelter one evening and discovered that a lot of people were gone. After asking around, he learned that they were “shipped off.” He also learned that he was on the list to be “shipped off” with the next batch, so he quickly snapped into action.

Charlie is a good man. Much like many of the other homeless, he is genuine and humble. Contrast that to the myriad assholes, dickheads, and fucktards that comprise “normal” society. Homelessness really teaches valuable lessons, if a willingness to learn is present.

Addendum: The maximum stay at transitional shelters is two years. High risk (usually meaning insufficient income) “guests” at the Sand Island homeless shelter are sent there if no suitable housing can be found within the six-month time limit.