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A Second Chance Begins with Someone Who Cares

July 31, 2026

Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi helps Troy reclaim his life—and his family's Waikīkī Beach Boy legacy

From Catholic Charities Hawaii

For nearly three years, Troy called Aala Park home.

By day, he watched the waves roll onto the shore where he once worked as a Waikīkī Beach Boy. By night, the park became the place where he slept. Years of alcoholism had cost him his home, his identification documents, and nearly his future.

"I didn't want help," Troy admitted. "I thought I didn't need it when I really did."

Troy comes from one of Waikīkī's well-known Beach Boy families. His father, Erroll "Skeezo" Hind, was a longtime Waikīkī Beach Boy who spent decades teaching surfing and sharing Hawaiʻi's ocean culture with visitors from around the world. Inspired by his father, Troy followed the same path, making a living introducing people to surfing and the aloha spirit.

But addiction slowly changed everything.

Then one day, everything began to change again.

Showing Up Again and Again

Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi's Intensive Outreach Program met Troy while conducting regular outreach at Aala Park.

Jennifer, Program Administrator for Housing Assistance and Referral Programs, and outreach case manager Becky didn't expect immediate results.

Instead, they focused on something more important—building trust.

They visited Troy several times. One visit they brought him a pair of Crocs. Another time they simply sat with him, talked story, and prayed together.

"I'll never forget that," Troy said. "Nobody had prayed with me in years. Their support was there from day one."

Jennifer says that's the heart of the Intensive Outreach Program.

"We're out in Chinatown, Ala Moana Beach Park, and other areas where the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions (SOHHS) directs us to go at least two to three days a week," she said. "Sometimes it takes several visits before someone is ready. We continue showing up and building relationships so people know we're there to help them when they're ready."

Eventually, Troy reached that moment.

"I said, 'Yes, I really do need help.'"

Within days, Jennifer helped arrange shelter placement, and Troy entered emergency shelter where he could begin to heal and address his addiction needs through Intensive Outpatient Treatment.

"I thought I was just coming for orientation," Troy said. "Jennifer got me in that day. I was so blessed."

Rebuilding One Step at a Time

Moving into shelter was only the first milestone.

Years of homelessness had left Troy without a birth certificate, state identification card, Social Security card, or access to benefits—documents many people rarely think about but are essential to rebuilding a life.

After entering shelter, Troy transitioned from the Intensive Outreach Program into Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi's Community Integration Services (CIS) program, Becky became his Case Manager.

Together, they began replacing his vital documents, enrolling him in SNAP benefits, coordinating services, and preparing him for permanent housing.

"Becky has done a lot for me," Troy said. "She got my birth certificate, my ID—everything I needed to get back into life. Those documents are very important because I didn't have any of that when I was on the street."

Jennifer says that ongoing support makes all the difference.

"Once someone is ready and eligible, we transition them into Community Integration Services so they continue receiving support while working toward permanent housing and greater independence."

Looking Toward Tomorrow

Today, Troy's focus is recovery.

He attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, participates in treatment through Care Hawaiʻi, and is committed to completing his rehabilitation program before returning to work.

His dream is simple: return to Waikīkī Beach as a Beach Boy and continue the family tradition his father helped build.

For Troy, it's about much more than earning a paycheck.

It's about reclaiming the life he loves.

"My body and my mind are so much clearer now," he said. "I want to get back on my feet, get my own place, go back to the beach, and live life again in a positive way."

When asked where he thinks he would be today without Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi, his answer comes quickly.

"Probably dead or in jail."

Then he reflects on the people who refused to give up on him.

"Catholic Charities is such a blessing. Becky and Jennifer have done more for me than anybody else. Without Catholic Charities, I would never have had the opportunity to change my life."

Hope Begins with One Conversation

Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi's Intensive Outreach Program meets people experiencing homelessness where they are—in parks, on sidewalks, and in encampments across Oʻahu. By building trust through compassion and consistency, outreach teams help people take the first step toward shelter, healthcare, case management, and permanent housing.

For Troy, that first step began with a simple conversation at Aala Park.

Today, he sees a future once again filled with possibility—a place to call home, a return to the ocean he loves, and the chance to honor his father's legacy by once again sharing the aloha spirit from the shores of Waikīkī.

In 2025, Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi served 74,391 people statewide, including 10,373 individuals and families through Housing Stability and Homeless Assistance programs. Every outreach visit, every conversation, and every life transformed reflects the organization's mission of helping people in need help themselves.

Sometimes all it takes to change a life is someone willing to keep showing up.