WAILUKU — Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers Inc., Maui’s largest homeless shelter provider, recently announced that it has received a $5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, It’s the largest private gift in the organization’s history.

Launched in 2018 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to leading organizations on the front lines that are employing compassionate, needle-moving work to help families move from unsheltered homelessness and shelters to permanent housing with the services they require to achieve stability.

“What an amazingly positive and impactful gift to our beloved community,” said Monique Ibarra, executive director at Ka Hale A Ke Ola.

“This generous grant will enable our agency to extend resources to a larger part of the community and sets our course on a faster pace of ending homelessness on Maui.”

This one-time grant will help Ka Hale A Ke Ola in its tireless work to support families as they reel from skyrocketing rent costs, limited services and insufficient incomes.

Ka Hale A Ke Ola plans to use the grant funds to create temporary housing though master leasing of homes and form a volunteer outreach group.

The funds will also be used to provide trauma services to children and families in shelter, replace furniture in the organization’s shelters in Wailuku and Lahaina, and build a technology hub in the shelter with computers to help shelter participants search for housing and employment.

Ka Hale A Ke Ola’s other plans for the grant include creating additional permanent affordable rental housing, starting a culinary arts training program, increasing resource awareness county-wide for families at risk of homelessness, increasing training for staff and providing school-aged children who are unsheltered with necessities.

Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers Inc. was selected as a Day 1 Families Fund grant recipient by a group of national advisors who are leading advocates and experts on homelessness and service provision.

National advisors brought expertise on housing justice, advancing racial equity and helping programs employ resources effectively to assist families out of homelessness.

Over the past five years, the Day 1 Families Fund has provided 170 grants totaling more than $520 million to organizations around the country working to combat homelessness and help families gain housing support and stability.

“We’re deeply grateful for this wonderful gift. It’s a tribute to the outstanding work of everyone at Ka Hale A Ke Ola,” said Lynn Rassmussen, chair of Ke Hale A Ke Ola’s Board of Directors.

The Bezos Day One Fund made a $2 billion commitment to focus on making meaningful and lasting impacts in two areas: funding existing non-profits that help families experiencing homelessness, and creating a network of new, nonprofit tier-one preschools in low-income communities.

Ka Hale A Ke Ola (KHAKO) is dedicated to serving the needs of the homeless and hungry on Maui by providing emergency food and housing, voicing their concerns, and empowering them to take responsibility for their own lives and to call on the community to assist in these actions.

Ka Hale A Ke Ola began sheltering the homeless on Nov. 26, 1986 in an old church building in Pu’unene. Within its 30-plus years of service, two homeless shelters with over 100 units for families and single adults, and two affordable rental unit facilities (230 units) were built.

On any given night, about 1,300 people in the Maui community have a roof over their heads and are not homeless due to KHAKO. Plans to expand affordable rental units are in the works.

KHAKO impacts the Maui community across many platforms, including sheltering 863 residents in two facilities, serving 46,876 meals and helping 294 individuals to become permanently housed in 2021.

KHAKO works to help lift up individuals and families to overcome economic challenges that can lead to homelessness. Learn more at www.khako.org.