Grateful to the Hawaii Community Foundation for their partnership and support. Take a quick minute to read this article from their time with us, highlighting the 'mobile' nature of our model, which we have utilized since our founding in 2015. This approach was a deliberate response to community listening and research into the unique needs of the unhoused population on Maui. And being entirely mobile has been key to our ability to be flexible to changing needs since the August 8 wildfires. ⬇ #mobileresource #communitylistening #Mauiwildfires #Mauinonprofit #houselessness
Since 2015, Maui Rescue Mission has provided hygiene assistance and critical resources for Maui’s homeless community. Instead of operating a brick-and-mortar facility, which can be difficult for unhoused individuals to reach, this nonprofit travels from Kīhei to Kahului and beyond. Its mobile trailer is equipped with a private shower stall and a washer and dryer. This flexible, meet-the-people-where-they’re-at approach put them in a perfect position to offer aid in the wake of the Maui wildfires. “When the fires hit in August, our mobility allowed us to quickly jump into action,” says Maui Rescue Mission’s executive director Scott Hansen. “Our trailer was able to provide showers for those living in upcountry Maui, as well as people in Lahaina whose homes didn’t burn down but were without water. We also helped folks apply for FEMA assistance and receive relief benefits they were eligible for.” This March, Maui Rescue Mission was able to secure a second, larger mobile hygiene trailer. With the financial support of a grant from the Maui Strong Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, they have been able to hire additional staff with the goal of having two fully staffed trailers going out to communities across Maui multiple times a day. Since the wildfires, Maui Rescue Mission has expanded their outreach program to operate four hours a day, five days a week. Hansen estimates they serve around 20 people each day, or more than 300 people a month. And the nonprofit’s services go beyond just a hot shower and clean laundry. Hansen’s team can assist people with securing Social Security income, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, access to medical and psychiatric care, and transportation to Maui’s Aloha House for detox and sobriety, among other services. Read the full story on our website at https://lnkd.in/gp26mWiS #MauiRescueMission #MauiStrong #HawaiiCommunity #giveback