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HOPE Services Hawai‘i Marks 15 Years of Faith in Action

August 25, 2025

(Photo courtesy of HOPE Services Hawaii)

 

From the Office for Social Ministry

“May hope fill your hearts…Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring.” - Pope Francis Opening Message for Jubilee Year December 2024

One of the many memorable actions Pope Francis did before he passed was to decree that the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica be opened on Christmas Eve 2024, inaugurating the Jubilee Year calling all to be pilgrims of hope with the marginalized suffering around the world. “Each day we meet people who are poor or impoverished; they may even be our next-door neighbors. Often, they are homeless or lack sufficient food for the day. They suffer from exclusion and indifference on the part of many. It is scandalous that in a world possessed of immense resources… the poor continue to be the majority of the planet’s population, billions of people.”

Pope Leo XIV echoes his predecessor’s call connecting hope with the poor in his message for the 2025 World Day of the Poor this fall: The poor can be witnesses to a strong and steadfast hope, precisely because they embody it in the midst of uncertainty, poverty, instability and marginalization.” The new pope’s letter also acknowledged the everyday saints who regularly bear Witness to Jesus through works of charity in soup kitchens, shelters, schools, care homes and community centers where people are welcomed, seen, and heard. “How many of these quiet signs of hope often go unnoticed and yet are so important for setting aside our indifference and inspiring others to become involved in various forms of volunteer work!”

Here in Hawaii, that same spirit of hope in service with others in need shines strongly through an organization that consistently lives up to its name. HOPE Services Hawaii is celebrating its 15th anniversary of inspiring hope and changing lives. HOPE actually grew out of the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii’s Office for Social Ministry (OSM) which was established in 1986. OSM began with a simple mission: Talk story and listen to the community; and serve those most in need as Christ called all to do when he said, “Whatever you do to the least of your brothers and sisters you do to me.” HOPE traces its origins on the Big Island to OSM’s mobile health Care-A-Vans and homeless shelters in Kona and Hilo. In 2010 Hope Services Hawaii Inc was officially established as a nonprofit corporation affiliated with the Diocese of Honolulu

Over the next 15 yrs, HOPE grew from these small outreach social ministry programs into the largest homelessness service provider on Hawai'i Island - delivering housing, healthcare, and hope to thousands of individuals and families. Guided by gospel values of justice and compassion, HOPE Services Hawai'i transforms lives through comprehensive housing, health, and support programs. HOPE now operates more than three dozen housing and shelter sites, provides trauma-informed care and medical respite, and leads statewide conversations around housing justice and community health.

Brandee Menino, HOPE’s current CEO, says their mission has always been “to go out into our communities, listen and respond to needs. We've been doing that over the last 15 years, connecting and developing services throughout the Big Island. We've responded to needs from natural disasters such as Tropical Storm Iselle and the lava flow threats as well as to the crisis in our community for the lack of affordable housing and lack of access to health care. We believe that dignity, compassion, and justice must be the foundation of every solution.”

When asked what inspires HOPE to continue their work, Brandee responded: The love for the people is what keeps us going  on this journey providing affordable  housing, and accessible health care services that people need, and focusing on the vulnerable persons who might not get that second chance while they are overwhelmed trying to overcome barriers that they often feel are insurmountable. People need to feel they are a value and have dignity, because mistakes in our past do not make us who we are.” She also pointed to the Saints who are part of HOPE’s roots: “We are blessed and humbled that we have Saints Damien and Marianne here in Hawaii, because they did what we're trying to do, meeting people where they're at, connecting with unconditional love, showing up and serving, inspiring hope, changing lives.”

In this way, HOPE Services Hawaii embodies the messages of the two latest popes for this Jubilee Year.  Pope Francis said: “May the Jubilee Year be marked with a hope that does not fade…May it help us in our task of promoting the dignity of all persons and respect for God’s gift of creation.” Pope Leo XIV added: “It is my hope that this Jubilee Year encourage new initiatives to support and assist the poorest of the poor.” 

For more information on HOPE Services Hawaii, visit: www.hopeserviceshawaii.org
To learn more about the Jubilee Year messages, visit the Vatican’s website: www.humandevelopment.va

Mahalo.