Homeless turnaround a miracle
Published: April 23, 2006
The day before they were to lose refuge at the Kahului breakwater, Elizabeth Gusman and her two young children moved out of homelessness and into low-income housing.
“It’s really a miracle,” Gusman said, referring to her refurbished apartment and placement at Kahekili Terrace in Wailuku.
“By the grace of God, we’re here and he put us in this house.”
A combination of luck, prayers and a supportive community contributed to Gusman’s turnaround from being homeless to having hope of a better life.
“This means a lot,” Gusman said.
The 24-year-old single mother serves as sole supporter for her daughter, Chevy Service-Gusman, 5, and son, Kalani Badayos-Gusman, 3.
The Gusmans moved into the Kahekili Terrace apartment complex on March 28, the day before county officials began a massive cleanup of the Kahului breakwater. Mayor Alan Arakawa’s administration served notice to the homeless at the breakwater, saying the cleanup was necessary to address health and safety concerns.
The Gusmans lived at the breakwater for eight months, parking their 1987 four-door Nissan Sentra in the dusty vacant lot taken up by as many as 140 homeless men, women and children.
Elizabeth Gusman said she was too afraid to set up a tarp or tent in the homeless camp and chose to stay put in her car with her two children. In pre-dawn hours, she would start up the vehicle and head out for the day to drop off her children at the Head Start program in Kihei and then go to work at McDonald’s restaurant in Kihei, where she’s earning $7 an hour.
Just before sunset, the Gusmans would return to the breakwater to camp out for the night in their car, choosing not to socialize or associate with anyone at the breakwater.
“I was ashamed of being there,” Gusman said.
Gusman also refrained from speaking to anyone about her homeless situation for fear that Child Protective Services would take custody of her children.
“I was really afraid I would lose my kids.”
Gusman said she agreed to be interviewed as a means to express her appreciation to the Maui nonprofit Habitat for Humanity and the island’s Rotarians who refurbished the apartment at Kahekili Terrace so that homeless families like hers could have a place to stay.
Gusman also was grateful for the support she received from the Lahaina Pentecostal Church, where she worships. Fellow church members gave her everything she owns in the apartment from fresh linens to furniture to dishes and small appliances like a toaster oven.
“The only thing we brought here was our body and our clothes. We had nothing,” she said.
About 50 percent of the homeless at the breakwater, including all of the families with children, have found homes like Gusman, according to Mike Davis of the Homeless Emergency Support Services program, which assists both homeless on the streets and families living in shelters operated by the Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center.
Davis said the other families and individuals moved off the breakwater have shifted to other public sites including Kanaha Beach Park and vacant areas around the island.
Davis said Gusman’s situation highlights the importance of combined support by the government and the community.
“We need the entire community involved and faith-based programs have also been very instrumental.”
Davis said other nonprofits have assisted homeless families with food and shelter. These include the Family Life Center, Salvation Army, Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. and Mental Health Kokua Services.
Gusman said she has mixed feelings about the county’s decision to clean up the Kahului breakwater.
“It was kind of good, but it was kind of sad,” she said.
Many families like hers ended up finding housing, but others were left to fend for themselves on the street. Gusman said she’s actually been able to save money on food now that she doesn’t have to dine out every night.
“We ate out a lot. I’d look for 99 cents meals,” she said. “Now we can have hot meals and I can store food.”
What’s even more important to Gusman is the safety that a home provides for her and her family.
“We just love it here,” she said. “We feel a lot safer and it’s definitely better than living on the beach.”
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