It was a journey of 300 miles, the fourth walk in a series that began last December when Dr. Clifford Kopp, a dentist who practices in Kailua-Kona, decided to bring awareness to the issue of unsheltered homelessness on Hawaii Island.
It was a journey of 300 miles, the fourth walk in a series that began last December when Dr. Clifford Kopp, a dentist who practices in Kailua-Kona, decided to bring awareness to the issue of unsheltered homelessness on Hawaii Island.
Kopp, who first placed his focus on the island’s unsheltered homelessness, has outlined an idea for 12- and 48-bed concepts, in total sheltering 300 people to be placed in West Hawaii, called Kukuiola Village. The layout, according to Kopp, would provide an affordable and practical way of sheltering the homeless before providing services to transition into more permanent living situations.
Kopp said the walk stems from a lack of being heard. He highlighted the issues homeless and unsheltered people face on a daily, hourly and minute-by-minute basis while walking 300 miles around the island.
“In a very minimal way, I got to realize how homeless people live,” Kopp said. “It reinforced the need to get those who are living unsheltered and homeless into shelters, protected and cared for. That’s what’s it’s all about and why I walked. I walked for awareness and I walked for shelters.”
In 10 days, Kopp traveled counterclockwise on Hawaii Island, beginning in Kona on June 12. The trip consisted of a walk through Pahoa town June 15, where in coordination with the Food Basket, Hawaii Island’s food bank, a community food outreach was held. In total, 120 community members were served and Kopp gained the attention of local political figures and others who stopped by to hear of his plans to resolve unsheltered homelessness.
Kopp closed out his trek in a familiar place: home. Kopp calls the return something not everyone is fortunate to have.
Through a partnership with The Food Basket, Kopp offered a $5,000 donation match to aid in the Food Basket’s mission to feed the hungry in Hawaii County.
“Dr. Kopp’s efforts are a reminder that we can never be complacent,” said En Young, executive director of the Food Basket. “We see his walk as inspiring because it is crazy, physically demanding and dangerous.
“The part of his point that we often miss is that this chosen experience is reality for many people. Driving is not an option, shelter is not an option for many of our residents here. His message for us is to stop taking our living situations for granted.”
