A Brief Introduction

From the early roots of the sober house program, Ka Hale Pomaika’i(KHP) has evolved into a full-service recovery and treatment program. Beginning in 1996, KHP started as Hawai’i’s first Recovery Community Organization (RCO). Working with all volunteers, KHP reached out to the most marginalized of Molokai’s community members and offered support, healing and hope. The spark that had been lit was fanned into a flame by the generosity of a Native Hawaiian Task Force on health, Ke Alaula, and Senator Daniel Inouye. KHP incorporated and became an official 501 (c ) 3 charity. Amazingly, there are staff and Board members who have been with the agency since the very beginning. Holding fast to the firm belief that people can and do recovery with strong reliance on cultural wisdom has made the agency dedicated to its mission and vision of restoring people to being pono without having to leave home.

Today, Ka Hale Pomaika`i (KHP) provides a valuable resource on Moloka’i through a Recovery Oriented System of Care with wrap-around services that support consumers to recover or maintain abstinence from alcohol and other drug misuses. KHP uses state Certified Substance Abuse Counselors (CSAC), Certified Prevention Specialists (CPS), Certified Criminal Justice Addictions Professionals (CCJP), and Peer Recovery Support Specialists (PRSS) with long-term recovery who have “been there” to provide recovery advocacy, transportation, and peer mentoring. KHP collaborates with many local community agencies by offering substance use-related assessments, treatment, a sober living home, and support programs for their referred clientele. KHP offers a site for supervised workers to fulfill community service obligations. KHP also offers a variety of customized Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) for Moloka’i businesses. The programs KHP offers are designed to reduce recidivism and relapse in recovering adults who may have chemical dependency issues.