Call it a success story.
A formerly homeless Hilo family has gone from living on the beach to finding permanent housing.
After a series of unfortunate circumstances with a mortgage company that caused the eviction of several families, Patricia and Jamie Pagan and their five children — Shanelle, 30, Shani, 28, Sha, 26, Jamie, 25 and Joseph, 22 — were homeless in the early 2000s.
Without a backup plan for their family, Patricia and Jamie were forced to turn their kids over to Child Protective Services until they had a decent living space. They turned to King’s Landing, the coastal area at the end of Keaukaha.
After building a home out of pallets, the Pagans were granted custody of their children and found solace in their new home.
The children attended school and helped their family make money by selling homemade lollipops to visitors and residents at the beach and other public places.
While it was nice to be together under one roof, it was difficult going to school as a homeless child.
“I was in fifth grade, and we had to do an all-about-me assignment, and when it came down to my address, I didn’t know what to put,” Shani Pagan said. “I made up a street, and the other kids would laugh because they knew. I felt like that was the worst part of it, trying to hide it.”
Life wasn’t easy for the Pagans, but they made it work. That was until the family was forced out of King’s Landing in a homeless sweep of the area.
“All the kids were young, and they all had an attitude, because they were a family that didn’t want to leave. They didn’t want to be hurt again by the system,” said Rena Caminos, the family’s caseworker. “Their intentions were not bad, but they put up shields, because the struggle was real for them.”
Mayor Harry Kim and then-executive assistant Billy Kenoi went to see Steve Bader, who was the executive director of the East Hawaii Coalition for the Homeless, to ask him to work with the Pagan family and find them housing.
“Without a doubt, I knew they were coming to me,” Caminos said. “I usually took the hardest cases, and building rapport and gaining their trust was truly the hardest part.”
After taking their case in 2005, Caminos worked to convince the Pagans that she had their backs and was going to work hard to give them suitable housing.
“There were so many people debasing us at the time, and we were doing our best to protect our kids who were taken away at one point,” Patricia Pagan said. “We came together with Rena for our kids. We put everything to the side, because she promised to be on our side and find us a place.”
After living in a homeless shelter for a while, Caminos and Bader were able to place the Pagans in temporary housing at the Kihei Pua Family Shelter. The new home was one room, but it was a roof over their heads.
“We were so young, I don’t think we always understood that we were homeless. We thought we were moving a lot,” Shani Pagan said. “It continued to get better though, even with the small, transitional shelter. We had space, it was cleaner, and it was different than living at the beach.”
While working with Caminos and finding their footing in a temporary shelter for over a year, the family was finally placed in permanent housing at the Lanakila housing neighborhood in 2006.
“After constant communication and fighting to get them into a home, it finally happened,” Caminos said. “They finally got to experience privacy and the privilege of making their own rules. They learned responsibility and accountability and modeled that for their kids.
“The more children see their parents being responsible, the more they will emulate that,” Caminos added.
After moving into the permanent home, the kids were able to go to school and be busy with activities while not having to worry about surviving.
“When we moved here, it was so much better for us. We had a house, we had everything we needed,” Shani Pagan said. “We were doing sports, activities and were happy to have a safe place to go.”
All five children graduated from high school. While some went to college, others went straight to the workforce to start earning a living.
“I joined the military and now work for the county, because when I became an adult, I knew I didn’t want my future kids to go through what I went through,” Sha Pagan said. “And we don’t blame our parents, we just want better. I don’t want my kids to worry.”
Caminos believes that finally having a home was all the Pagans needed to have a good, productive life. She’s been a companion to them since for 17 years and continues to watch them grow.
“I believe that all they needed was a chance. I think that’s all that most people need in this situation,” Caminos said. “Once they got their home, the kids went to school, college, they worked, and the family became productive as a whole. I’m so proud of them.”
The Pagans said Caminos’ help was life-changing.
“I don’t know where we would be without Rena. We went through so much, and now this place is like heaven to me,” Patricia Pagan said. “My grandchildren come over and play in the yard every week, and we all get together for meals. This is our gathering place, our safe haven.”
The East Hawaii Coalition for the Homeless has since been absorbed by HOPE Services Hawaii, whose caseworkers work to place homeless individuals and families into affordable housing, or provide financial assistance to those in need.
More affordable housing has been proposed with the Kaiaulu O Kapiolani Housing Development that would be built near the intersection of Kukuau Street and Kapiolani Avenue. The complex would offer units to households earning 60% or less of the area’s median income.
“I think adding more housing options is always a good thing, because there are so many people out there who just need that chance,” Caminos said. “We’re all shooting for the same things in life — having a home, a place to be with family where you can grow and live your life without fear of losing it.”
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune- herald.com.