"We're the proof of what can happen for everybody," says Laura Mae Duclayan, Hoʻokahi Leo Kauhale's first resident. Duclayan reflects on the transformation she has experienced—not just by living in a kauhale but also by leading it.
Before HomeAid Hawaiʻi, in partnership with Governor Josh Green, built Hoʻokahi Leo Kauhale, Duclayan and her community lived in a Sand Island encampment. When the opportunity arose to move into a new kauhale near Middle Street, they were invited to move there. One resident even had the honor of naming the village "Hoʻokahi Leo Kauhale," meaning "a community with one voice."
Kawaiarii "Kawai" Keaulana, the Kauhale program manager from Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center, helps guide the community’s culture and provides support to Duclayan, who leads weekly board meetings focused on maintaining and improving the kauhale. While challenges arise and some moments can be intense, Duclayan emphasizes that resolution is always found.
For many, this new way of life has brought renewed energy, a sense of youthfulness, and, most importantly, a feeling of security and stability.
