Creative Compassion

bilde.jpegThey say that constriction fuels creativity. Well, the scarcity and high cost of land here on Oahu sure has led a group of church leaders to think innovatively about the skyrocketing homeless rate (up 30% in the last two years!).

According to this article, their solution is to turn a decommissioned Navy boat into a floating homeless shelter that could house 800 people:

If the faith-based groups succeed, the Acadia would be the first Navy vessel to be converted for humanitarian purposes, Navy officials say. Many ships have been turned into museums, but most are used for scrap or training.

Under the plan, the Acadia would house hundreds of homeless people — mostly singles — who would also get job skills on the vessel.

“Land is a high commodity. We live on a rock,” said Pastor Gary Shields, director of the Victory Ohana Prison Fellowship in Pearl City, who is helping in the attempt to acquire the ship. “Hawai’i has to do something different and out-of-the-box. And this is out-of-the-box.”