Homelessness remains at the forefront of issues troubling our islands. But there’s at least one reason for optimism: Earlier this year, the Hawai‘i Homelessness Summit revealed the state is no longer the U.S. leader in per capita homelessness. While that may not seem like much to cheer about, it’s a sure sign of progress, thanks in no small part to charitable efforts and legislative changes.

Also: Organizations like HomeAid Hawai‘i. Established in July 2015, this group is comprised of building industry professionals who provide expertise—be it construction services or donations of goods—to local nonprofit organizations in need of renovations or new facilities.

“We’ll get applications for everything, but we also get a fair amount of applications that just want help with materials and they’ve got the labor taken care of,” says Nani Medeiros, HomeAid Hawai‘i executive director.

HomeAid Hawai‘i has contributed to a number of ongoing projects. This includes the state’s first Kauhale villages in Kalaeloa, where a masterplanned tiny home community will offer permanent housing to those experiencing chronic homelessness; Pearl Haven, a residential treatment campus that will cater to female youth victims of sex trafficking; and The Salvation Army’s Women’s Way cottages, which serve pregnant women and mothers of small children. Other initiatives, meanwhile, include everything from RYSE (Residential Youth Services and Empowerment) Hawai‘i facilities and IHS’ Ka‘a‘ahi Women and Family Shelter to Waikiki Health’s Youth Outreach program.

Beyond construction-related activities, HomeAid Hawai‘i also spearheads outreach efforts, such as sponsoring events and assembling kits for hygiene, comfort care and work readiness for the community. The latter kits, coordinated in partnership with IHS, provide everything from jobsite uniforms to bus passes, depending on the need.

“Those are also pro bono,” Medeiros adds, “whatever we are able to put together ... we provide those to the community.”

Medeiros estimates that HomeAid Hawai‘i members have contributed more than half a million dollars in pro bono work since the rolled out its first program in January of 2016.

“Seeing the generosity of our building industry members and their response when we put out the call for help on projects—it’s very moving,” says Medeiros. “There’s so much aloha in our community, in the building industry, to help.”

HomeAid Hawai‘i, she explains, is the local chapter of a national organization, HomeAid America, which started in Orange County, California, about three decades ago. Today, it counts 21 affiliates throughout the nation. Here in Hawai‘i, the group found its footing thanks to a startup grant from Ward Village Foundation, with other developers also contributing funds. HomeAid Hawai‘i remains a small organization, with Medeiros leading the way, as she has since it was founded. The task at hand is not easy, she’s quick to point out—which is why the organization always welcomes new building industry leaders who’d like to make a direct impact to help Hawai‘i’s homeless community.

“We are basically going to ask you to do exactly what you’re good at, or [for] exactly what you provide,” says Medeiros. “We’re not going to have you [go] beyond your comfort zone.”

Financial support is another way the community can contribute, too.

“We don’t receive any government funding, and we don’t have any grants,” Medeiros explains. “We are only funded by private donations.”

Prior to to heading up HomeAid Hawai‘i, Medeiros spent years spent working in the nonprofit sector, and in the Legislature, with former Gov. Linda Lingle. Serving as an adviser to Lingle’s policy department, Medeiros says she became rather well-versed on housing and homelessness.

“As a single mother, it has always just been an important issue to me, close to my heart,” she adds. “I can relate—paycheck to paycheck; I could find myself on the street, worst-case scenario, with my kid ... It became an issue I learned a lot about over the course of 13 years.”

Medeiros describes HomeAid Hawai‘i as her dream job. And she has high hopes about how much the organization can continue doing within the community.

“It’s a huge challenge, but the work— it needs to be done,” she says. “Doing something really important every day, to me, it’s really purposeful.

“As long as we’ve got a problem, then I hope that HomeAid is around to help be part of that solution, and to help the construction and building industry be part of that solution.”

For more information, visit homeaidhawaii.org.