Lihue Court Townhomes, once overrun with troublemaking kids and partying parents, is implementing a network of programs that are slowly but surely changing long-standing opinions and turning their apartment neighborhood into an ‘ohana.
The Lihue Court Bucks program, in its first year, is “getting the kids to do positive stuff and not make humbug,” said Jimmy Trujillo, program and resource coordinator.
The children who live in Lihue Court can help in a recycling program, work in the garden, meet personal goals or join an extracurricular activity to earn “Lihue Court bucks.”
Kids can use their earnings to buy Mother’s Day gifts in a special boutique, opened for the first time on Valentine’s Day. The boutique will also open for Father’s Day and Christmas. About 46 children, mainly elementary and middle school-aged, take part in earning Lihue Court bucks.
“They learn the value of earning money, and understand what their parents are trying to do for them,” added LaVonne Pironti, Lihue Court property manager.
For prices ranging from 75 cents to about three “bucks,” kids get their pick of Mother’s Day presents, including candle holders, bath soaps, CDs and stuffed animals.
“Kids get an opportunity to buy gifts at a reasonable price,” Trujillo said, adding that about $450 worth of gift items were donated to the program by community vendors; members of the Lihue Court resident council also purchased some.
Pironti agrees the program is valuable in teaching children a good work ethic, and is helping them overcome the bad name they got following Hurricane ‘Iniki, when Lihue Court was one of the few housing options open to displaced Kaua’i families.
In about 1994, management was transferred to the Mutual Housing Association of Hawaii, Inc., a non-profit company that manages complexes like Lihue Court that are considered marginalized communities and aren’t pulling in enough money to stay afloat.
The non-profit group is the only one in Hawaii to employ a management structure that allows residents to have a say in the operations of their apartment complex.
In the past few years, Lihue Court has become more community-based. Since Mutual Housing Association of Hawaii, Inc. took over, federal funds helped establish a HeadStart program and daycare; there’s also a computer center for kids. The resident council came up with the idea for Lihue Court Bucks.
“We empower the residents and try to instill leadership qualities and a sense of pride in their neighborhood,” Trujillo said.
Staff Writer Kendyce Manguchei can be reached at kmanguchei@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 252).
