Eden Plan Hawaii
Community values
Housing first + Hand ups
Eden Plan is guided by Housing First principles, recognizing housing as the foundation for health, stability, and independent living. We lead with a service mindset and a strong community ethos, grounded in the reality that many people in Hawaiʻi cannot keep pace with today’s housing market.
We challenge stigmas around homelessness and center our work on dignity, empowerment, and skill-building, offering a hand up—not a handout. Our leadership reflects this belief: Bryan, our Executive Director and Director of Construction, has lived experience with homelessness and is a testament to how trade skills and opportunity can transform lives.
At Eden Plan, local economic development requires more than providing more than shelter—it means safe housing, nourishing meals, and meaningful pathways for people to grow, work, and move forward with confidence.
food Security, health
We believe a meaningful lifestyle and diet are the foundation for health, significantly reducing the risk of chronic disease and mental illness. Our approach is to revitalize the health of our residents and community by emphasizing a simple, preventative lifestyle:
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Whole Food Nutrition: We prioritize organic, whole foods grown in our own gardens, recognizing its profound positive impact on mental and physical well-being.
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Physical Wellness: We encourage regular exercise and deep engagement with nature, including therapeutic gardening, which is proven to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress while improving mood and cognitive function.
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Community and Connection: We foster a strong sense of community and belonging, which is essential for improving overall quality of life and preventing isolation.
Pragmatic Skill Development
Our model is designed to build real-world job skills and long-term employability, especially critical in Hawaiʻi where high living costs and limited opportunities disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. By integrating hands-on training into daily community life, we equip participants with practical experience, confidence, and a strong work ethic that supports a stable future.
We achieve this through:
Team Ownership
Every community member actively participates in maintaining the property and supporting ongoing projects. This hands-on involvement develops transferable workplace skills such as accountability, teamwork, time management, and problem-solving—while fostering pride and responsibility in their work.
Agricultural & Food Systems Training
Participants gain experience growing and managing food production in our orchards and greenhouse. This work builds valuable skills in agriculture, sustainability practices, planning, and operations, while providing fresh, nourishing meals for the community.
Construction & Home Building Experience
Through tiny home construction and maintenance projects, volunteers receive practical training in carpentry, electrical work, tool safety, and collaborative project execution. These sought-after trade skills prepare participants for employment in construction, maintenance, and related industries, while also strengthening leadership and communication abilities.
We are expanding our ability to train in micro enterprises, entrepreneurship, and business management. We are expanding our capacity to reach people earlier, in an effort to break and combat cycles generational poverty.
Together, these opportunities create a pathway from participation to practical experience—helping individuals build the skills needed to succeed in the workforce and beyond.
Community Partnerships
At Eden Plan, we believe lasting stability is built through collaboration. Guided by Housing First principles and a service-first mindset, we work alongside trusted community partners to support residents as they rebuild health, gain stability, and move toward independent living. Through our work, we seek to break cycles of poverty earlier in people's lives.
Our partners help turn shared values into real, daily impact:
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HOPE Services — Provides wraparound case management, supporting residents’ social, emotional, and practical needs for long-term success.
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The Salvation Army — Offers referrals so individuals can be connected to housing, resources, and stability at critical moments.
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One ʻOhana — Works with us to get fresh, vegan meals out to the community two times a month. We help corrdinate with passionate volunteers. We get accessible information out that can empower families experiencing homelessness, including those navigating Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living.
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Hydroponic Hut — Offers education workshops making growing lettuce easier to understand. They are how we have developed the capacity to sustain daily community lunches with food grown right on land.
We are rooted in the proverb “Kāhi lima hana nui, nā lima e hana like ai”—one hand works hard; many hands work together—our partnerships reflect a shared commitment to collective success and a stronger, more resilient community.
sustainability and land stewardship
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We are committed to environmental sustainability and are aligned with the State's goal to re-connect locals to the land in a stance for mālama 'āina (caring for the land). Operating sustainably in an island environment is vital for reducing our environmental footprint and modeling responsible stewardship for the community. We achieve this by:
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Conserving Resources: We utilize solar power and water catchment systems to minimize utility costs and conserve precious resources.
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Regenerative Practices: We employ vermicomposting and other permaculture methods to convert organic waste into rich, healthy soil for our gardens, ensuring our system remains regenerative and closes the ecological loop.
