On Dec. 1, the White House Office of Public Engagement honored 11 Native American Youth leaders as Champions of Change, part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. One of those leaders was Desiree Vea, a Waimea High School graduate
On Dec. 1, the White House Office of Public Engagement honored 11 Native American Youth leaders as Champions of Change, part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. One of those leaders was Desiree Vea, a Waimea High School graduate who was born and raised in Koloa.
“They say I’m a champion of change, but I’m just really good listener and have a heart for people,” Vea said about the honor. “My biggest takeaway from the experience was realizing it wasn’t about me. It was about (the federal government) recognizing Native Hawaiian issues are important issues.”
As part of a panel discussion in Washington, Vea spoke about her drive to end homelessness and her hope of spurring other youth to answer the call to service.
“I believe in this work; homelessness is where my heart is,” Vea said. “Even though we don’t have a visible homeless problem like O‘ahu, overcrowding is a big issue on Kaua‘i. We have those invisible homeless where they are living house-to-house or living in their car.”
After graduating from college in New York in 2009, Vea returned to Kaua‘i and currently works at Hawai‘i Community Assets, a nonprofit organization that uses home ownership as a means to sustain Hawaiian families and communities for future generations.
She began developing programs to help end homelessness and transition families into permanent rentals.
“The work I currently do on Kaua‘i focuses on pre-purchase homebuyer education,” Vea said. “We do a particular focus on Hawaiian homeland … It’s a comprehensive approach on how to be a permanent homebuyer.”
When Vea joined the HCA team, she developed an education curriculum that focuses on budgeting, savings and credit repair while utilizing social services to help assist with purchasing a home.
“Being a homebuyer wasn’t an option for a lot of people,” Vea said. “It’s all based on the Hawaiians and the ahupua‘a system and showing how ancient Hawaiians were good land managers and managers of their assets and bringing those concepts to today.”
When Vea initially left Kaua‘i to study at Wells College in New York, she didn’t think her work would lead her back to the islands.
She majored in international studies, studied abroad in Korea and worked at an orphanage in Indonesia, but a conference at Syracuse University changed her mind.
“It was a conference about Native American initiative and sustainability,” Vea said. “I learned about a sense of place, and how it’s important when doing work in the community. I was doing all this great work abroad and realized it was important for me to do this in the community.”
Vea studied with the Hawai‘i Youth Conservation Corps and later joined AmeriCorps, where she learned about homeless transitional housing and “fell in love with the work.”
When Vea joined HCA, she found inspiration from staff members Kehaulani Filimou‘atu, Blossom Feiteira and Michelle Kauhane.
“They are extraordinary women. I remember when I got the call from the White House, I called them and said I can’t really go because it’s not me, it’s the community,” Vea said. “They said ‘no’ and that I have to go. It’s weird for them to honor me. I never do anything alone, and I’m definitely inspired by those who come before me.”
Vea continues to focus on the community’s needs, hosting free workshops about home ownership, which are open to the public.
“Sometimes people think they’re not ready, but the skills I give people in class are skills for life,” Vea said. “When you learn about the process, you’re learning about time management, budgeting, savings and balancing your needs and wants. It’s life skills, and it’s fun, I promise.”
HCA hosts its next workshop from 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 21 and 22 at the Lihu‘e Civic Center, Pi‘ikoi Building, room A and B-1116. It’s free and focuses on foreclosure prevention, loan modification, homebuyers education and credit counseling. Call 632-2070 to register.
“Because the need is here, we are not going to fail,” Vea said. “As long we listen to the community, we will be pono in our work we do.”
Visit www.hawaiiancommunity.net for more information or visit the Kaua‘i branch’s Facebook page.
• Andrea Frainier, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681, ext. 257 or afrainier@ thegardenisland.com.
