2020 Statewide Homeless Awareness Virtual Conference Sessions, Speakers and Panelists November 18th and 19th 2020 9:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. The Homeless Awareness Committee would like to acknowledge and thank all of the speakers and facilitators who have graciously given their time, knowledge, expertise, experience and services voluntarily for our very first Homeless Awareness Virtual Conference. We hope that attendees enjoy the opportunity to learn new techniques and gain new skills to help in their efforts to help those most vulnerable in your communities. Day Aloha and Welcome 9:00 A.M. – 9:10 A.M Day 1 1 Governor David Ige Governor of the State of Hawaii Governor Ige is focused on improving the lives of Hawaiʻi’s people and making the islands a place future generations choose to call home. He is increasing affordable housing, reducing homelessness, moving toward the state’s 100% renewable energy goal, and remodeling public education to prepare students for the innovation economy of the 21st century. Under his leadership, the state has aggressively moved to ensure financial sustainability and enable future growth. Opening Plenary and Q&A 9:10 A.M. – 10:00 A.M. New Leaf Project: Direct Giving to Homeless Persons Claire Elizabeth Williams Co-Founder and CEO, Foundations for Social Change, Vancouver Canada Claire is Co-Founder and CEO of Foundations for Social Change, and organization that works with people living on the margins to develop measurable solutions that are scientifically based and informed by lived experience. Founded in 2015, then Environmental Consultant Claire Elizabeth Williams was compelled to pursue work that would make a real difference in her community. 1 Dr. Jiaying Zhao Principal Investigator, University of British Columbia Dr. Jiaying Zhao is the Canada Research Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Zhao uses psychological principles to design behavioral solutions to address financial and environmental sustainability challenges. “A” Breakout Sessions and Q&A 10:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. [A1] City Acquisition and Housing Projects: Increasing Housing for those Most in Need Panel Description: The Department of Land Management, under the Caldwell Administration, was tasked to prioritize acquisition of land and properties to increase the availability of affordable rental housing units for low income, homeless or those at risk of homelessness. Director Pfund will discuss the strategies employed to meet this mandate including selection of properties, development considerations and pursuit of innovative housing models to achieve the doubling of available rental housing units in five years. Sandra Pfund Director, City & County of Honolulu Department of Land Management Sandra S. Pfund is the Director of the city’s Department of Land Management (DLM). DLM is responsible for protecting, developing, and managing city real property interests except those under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks and Recreation. Ms. Pfund has over 30 years of experience in project management with a focus on government housing development. She has worked as the Land Development Administrator for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Chief Executive Officer for the Aloha Tower Development Corporation, Interim Director and Development Director for the Hawaii Community Development Authority and Development Manager at the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation. 2 [A2] Landlord-Tenant Mediation: Preventing Eviction & Homelessness Panel Description: Mediation is a conflict prevention and resolution process that supports client self- determination and empowerment. Mediation can be part of a diversion strategy to prevent people from being evicted or becoming houseless. Walk away with a better understanding of what mediation is, what types of housing issues can be potentially resolved, and what landlord-tenant mediation programs are currently available to support coronavirus recovery. Katie Ranney Mediation Center of the Pacific Katie Ranney is the Special Programs Coordinator for The Mediation Center of the Pacific. She is responsible for conducting outreach and training as well as program creation and management. The programs she focuses on are Dispute Resolution in Housing, including landlord-tenant and neighbor disputes, Kupuna Pono, family conferences and mediation around elder issues, and more recently the Online Mediation Program, which encompasses both text-only and video conference formats for remote mediation. She is a peace-builder, conflict resolver, and facilitator, and has been working professionally in these areas for the last 13 years. She is President-Elect for the Conflict Resolution Alliance, a Hawaii-based non-profit dedicating to supporting conflict resolvers and community builders, after having volunteered on the Board for several years. Katie also acts as a community facilitator for Ceeds of Peace and digital administrator for the ACCORD3.0 Network. As an independent facilitator and communication consultant, Katie has worked mostly with nonprofits and government agencies to create substantial plans to strengthen and advance their endeavors. She graduated summa cum laude from Santa Clara University and earned her Master’s in Communication from UH Manoa, with a certification in conflict resolution. She is interested in the development and practice of empathy as well as how digital communication helps groups connect and organize, and hopes to apply it to her work at home in Hawaii. Eric Paul Executive Director, West Hawaii Mediation Center Eric Paul is the Executive Director of West Hawaii Mediation Center. He holds a Masters in Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School where he studied nonviolent movements for social change. He is currently completing a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University. Eric also serves as the Coordinator for Justice and Compassion for the Church of the Nazarene in Hawaii, and believes that conflict, when engaged in healthy ways, provides opportunities for individuals and communities to grow together. 3 Julie Mitchell Kuihahi Mediation Center Julie Mitchell has been the Executive Director of Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center in East Hawai‘i since 2012. The non-profit community mediation center offers mediation, facilitation, and training to strengthen the ability of diverse individuals and groups to resolve interpersonal conflicts and community issues. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ms. Mitchell graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sociology and minor in Philosophy from the University of California, Irvine. After moving to East Hawai‘i in 1998, she worked as Education Coordinator of Volcano Art Center and General Manager of Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Ms. Mitchell holds a Certificate in Professional Development for Not-for-Profit Management from Hawai‘i Community College and is a graduate of The Hawai‘i Island Leadership Series—Ulumau, The Leadership Works Experience, and The Weinberg Fellows Program. [A3] Accessing Treatment for the Mentally Ill: Helping Someone Rediscover Their Humanity Justin Phillips Institute for Human Services (IHS) Justin Phillips holds a BA in Psychology, but he attributes his skills and competencies with mental health outreach to his 11 years of experience with IHS, first as a Guest Services Assistant, followed by10 years in the field as an outreach specialist.. He has a huge heart for assisting persons disabled by mental illness and has honed his expertise through direct street outreach, often accompanied by a nurse or psychiatrist.. While Justin leads the Outreach Program and trains new outreach workers in an array of outreach interventions, he specializes in out-of-the-box solutions for motivating persons to make needed changes in their lives. His latest responsibilities at IHS include a focus on the outreach component of petitioning for Assisted Community Treatment, including motivational enhancement and initiating psychiatric treatment. Vinnesha Bertola Institute for Human Services (IHS) Vinnesha Bertola eaarned a BA in Criminal Justice and a MA in Marriage and Family Counseling. She started her career in human services at IHS ten years ago at the front door of IHS Sumner Men's Shelter as a Guest Relations Specialist. About a year in, she and Justin Phillips, her co-presenter today were selected to launch a street homeless outreach team and co-led the effort for about 8 years. Most recently, she transitioned into leading IHS's clinical case management teams as a Qualified Mental Health Professional. She is driven by the desire to deliver impactful case management services that lead to healing in a person's journey toward ending homelessness. Her foundational values include an interdisciplinary team approach and tailored solutions forcarefully assessed needs. 4 [A4] Keiki Connections (Youth Homelessness, 17yo and under) Barbara DeBaryshe University of Hawaii Center on the Family Barbara DeBaryshe is the Interim Director of the University of Hawaii Center on the Family. Her applied research and community collaborations focus on the well- being of Hawaii's young children and their families. Larae Balag Early Head Start and Hale Hi'ipoi programs at Maui Family Support Services Larae Balag is the Director of the Early Head Start and Hale Hi'ipoi programs at Maui Family Support Services. A veteran in the early childhood field for about 20 years on Maui and Hawaii Island,