HCAP Weekly August 21, 2017

In this week’s issue:

SCSEP Builds New Partnership with Next Step Shelter
Former Kumuhonua Resident Transitions to Permanent Home
Palolo STEM Students Create Marble Mazes
Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Accepting Applications Until September 22nd
HCAP Head Start Uses Second Step Program to Teach Social-Emotional Skills
HCAP Head Start Accepting Applications for the 2017-2018 School Year

SCSEP Builds New Partnership with Next Step Shelter

HCAP’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) has built a new partnership with Next Step Shelter. Next Step Shelter is a non-profit organization that provides transitional shelter to homeless individuals and families. As part of the partnership, Next Step Shelter will refer senior shelter occupants to SCSEP. Like other prospective SCSEP participants, those referred from Next Step Shelter will need to complete assessment, intake, and enrollment. Once enrolled, the participant will be placed at either the Next Step Shelter or another training site for paid hands on job training. A SCSEP placement – and steady wages that accompany the placement – would be a stepping stone for homeless shelter occupants looking to secure housing.

Last week, Next Step Shelter staff visited the HCAP Corporate Office to attend a SCSEP orientation. Both SCSEP and Next Step Shelter staff spoke about the services their programs provide to the community and exchanged ideas on how to establish a mutually beneficial partnership. HCAP looks forward to working with Next Step Shelter.

Former Kumuhonua Resident Transitions to Permanent Home

Dan entered the Kumuhonua Transitional Living Center in late 2015. Injured on the job, his only income was Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefit payments. With his limited financial income, Dan had a hard time paying market value rent. Upon entry to Kumuhonua, Dan worked with staff and case management to apply for multiple rental units. Dan also applied and received Legal Aid assistance to assist with his workers’ compensation case, got his health on track, and opened and maintained a savings account. With assistance from HCAP’s Rapid Re-Housing program and the housing specialist team at Kumuhonua, Dan successfully transitioned into a newly remodeled home in Waipahu.

Palolo STEM Students Create Marble Mazes

The students at the Hā Initiative: Creative STEM After-School Program’s Palolo STEM Exploration Center worked on making their own marble mazes. After learning about mazes, the students followed a series of steps called the “Engineering Design Process” to plan and create their own maze. As part of the Engineering Design Process, the students drew their design of the maze, specified the features of the maze, and then created the actual maze out of straws, paper plates, and tape. The students then tested and evaluated the effectiveness of the design and creation by dropping a marble into the maze. If the maze didn’t withstand the marble run, the students were asked to go back to the drawing board to make the necessary changes.

Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Accepting Applications Until September 22nd

The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) provides low-income seniors with eligible fresh produce (fruits, vegetables, honey, and fresh cut herbs) at farmers’ markets and roadside stands during the “harvest season,” which ends on September 30th. To qualify for this program, individuals have to be 60 years of age or older and have a household annual income of less than $25,290 for a single person or $34,096 for a couple. Interested individuals must submit a completed application, by Friday, September 22nd, to: Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Office of Community Services, 830 Punchbowl Street, Room 420, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. Once the applications are received and certified, $50 worth of vouchers will be mailed to the individual for redemption from a certified participating vendor or farmers’ market.

HCAP Head Start Uses Second Step Program to Teach Social-Emotional Skills

The Second Step Program, used by preschool and K-8 students across the nation, equips students with the social-emotional skills they need to excel in and out of the classroom. For HCAP Head Start educators, the Second Step curriculum is a great way to start off the new school year. Classroom teacher Jaci Nishimiya incorporated a hand puppet in her Second Step lesson to the children of Lanakila I Head Start. The Second Step lessons helped the children with transitions by learning about emotions and how to express their feelings verbally. It was also an opportunity for the children to learn how to share, take turns, and care for themselves and their new friends.

HCAP Head Start Accepting Applications for the 2017-2018 School Year

Are you or someone you know in need of comprehensive early childhood education? Spread the word! HCAP Head Start is now accepting applications for children 3-5 years for the 2017-2018 school year. Families are encouraged to apply by calling (808) 847-2400 or visiting our website.