WAHIAWA, Hawaii — Over six months of community work by the AgriBusiness Development Corporation, Wahiawa community, the City and County of Honolulu and nonprofit partners have led to 44 houseless individuals in Wahiawa being placed in shelters or reunited with loved ones, announced the ADC last week.

What You Need To Know

  • With the mission to support the production of local agriculture, ADC addresses challenges to Hawaii’s infrastructure, food production and thousands of acres of vacant land

  • Clemente said dozens of individuals had been living in the area for years and were surprised to learn the land is now private and did not know where they would be going

  • ADC’s goal was to develop trust and meaningful relationships in order to provide the individuals with services and get them housed

  • Nakamoto added, “The greater community needs to be assured that ADC will continue to manage its lands to the best of its ability, and at the same time, show compassion to individuals who are on the land”

The positive outcome came as a result of daily face-to-face meetings with the houseless individuals who had been living along a small area of newly acquired ADC land just off Whitmore Avenue around Kahi Kani Park, according to ADC Property Manager Roger Clemente and ADC Project Manager Ken Nakamoto.

Clemente said dozens of individuals had been living in the area for years and were surprised to learn the land is now private and did not know where they would be going. ADC’s goal was to develop trust and meaningful relationships in order to provide the individuals with services and get them housed, according to a news release.

“Many (houseless people) have experienced a trauma. A lot of them need guidance, somewhere to turn. I know many of them are in homes now,” said Clemente in the release. “We were able to be there for them, along with other community members, to provide resources and shelters and to be supportive. Kealahou West Oahu met with many houseless people over the course of the year.”

With the mission to support the production of local agriculture, ADC addresses challenges to Hawaii’s infrastructure, food production and thousands of acres of vacant land.

One of the challenges is making vacant land accessible to farming where houseless individuals and communities have ensconced themselves over the years. Moving these individuals into shelters or back with their families will open the way for farmers to get on the land and begin producing.

“All of this land will be turned into production, for food for the community. But it has been barren for years, and just putting up the ‘Private Property’ signs doesn’t always get that point across,” said Clemente. “We hope to get a farmer on this Wahiawa land by the end of the year. We know that this is a challenge across the islands, but we also know that leading with compassion for each other is the only way.”

Nakamoto added, “The greater community needs to be assured that ADC will continue to manage its lands to the best of its ability, and at the same time, show compassion to individuals who are on the land. Our biggest concern from the community? Safety for our children, including fire safety.”

Administratively attached to the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, ADC is tasked with transitioning former mono-crop lands and water systems to diversified long-term agricultural use, developing diversified agriculture facilities and finding solutions to challenges faced by the agricultural industry.

On July 1, the AgriBusiness Development Corporation brought Wendy Gady on board as executive director, Lyle Tabata as chairperson, Jason Okuhama as vice chairperson, new board member Jesse Cooke, and new interim board members Nathan Trump and Dean Okimoto.

“As more and more ADC land becomes licensed and operated, the Wahiawa community can be a resource: monitoring the safety of our community, helping those in need find a place to live, and preventing fires and injuries,” said Gady. “We all have to be vigilant.”

One focus of the agency is Wahiawa and the Wahiawa Irrigation System, a main artery to acres of farmland and irrigation systems, according to the release.

Another project is ADC’s Central Oahu Agriculture and Food Hub Project that aims to revitalize agriculture between Wahiawa and the North Shore by providing a centralized location to decrease time, transportation and shipping costs; existing facilities that can be retrofitted to comply with current regulations; arable land; and co-op opportunities among other things.

Sarah Yamanaka covers news and events for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.