 Hello and welcome to Connecting Hawaii Business on ThinkTech Hawaii. My name is Kathleen Lee and I am your host for this program. Today I am excited to have on the show my friend Katie Kahanui of the Waikiki Business Improvement District. Katie, welcome to Connecting Hawaii Business. Thank you for having me Kathleen, it's so nice to see you again. Thank you for being back on the show, but before we delve into that, tell our viewers about yourself. Yeah, so my name is Katie Kahanui. I am new about a month into my role at the Waikiki Business Improvement District and I helped to oversee the Waikiki Safe and Sound program. My background is in criminal justice and mental health, so I know we'll go into this a little bit later, but this was the perfect opportunity for me to dive into both of my professional sweet spot. So really excited to be here. Prior to this and what our last show was about a couple years ago, I was with the Chamber of Working and Workforce Development. So I'm really excited for this new journey and look forward to this conversation with you. Yeah, and thank you again for everything that you did in that capacity with helping out Hawaii at that time, especially during the pandemic when people were trying to figure out what to do, especially when it came to business and the economy and employment. So I know the community is grateful to you guys for that. Thank you so much. Thank you. I'll go into the Waikiki Business Improvement District first before we go into Safe and Sound. Tell us a brief overview of what the organization is. Yeah, so the Safe and Sound program is a part of the Waikiki Business Improvement District. And really, you know, if you take a walk or take a drive through Waikiki, you'll see the people in the neon green shirts who are kind of keeping the area clean and talking to people and just being, you know, hospitable and really kind. And we oversee that program, which is the Aloha Ambassadors program. But we also just do programming to make sure that Waikiki is, you know, a safe and a vibrant place to live, work and do business. So we're involved in a bunch of different projects and Safe and Sound is one of them. And we're really excited to jump into this project. We're about a year in and just launched year two of Safe and Sound. That is fairly new, especially when it comes to the history of the organization as well as Waikiki. So let's go into Safe and Sound. What is the program and use the vision for it? The partners, tell us more about it. Yeah, so Safe and Sound, Waikiki is an initiative that was launched, really, you know, at its core to create a safer Waikiki community. And it was created in partnership with the prosecuting attorney's office, the police department, the mayor's office, ourselves, the business community, and very importantly, the residents. And so it was kind of everybody coming together, just saying that we need to come together and really make sure that the place is safe. And we do that in two ways. So the first way is to make sure that we are decreasing the levels of crime that we observe, as well as increasing the levels of mental health support that these people are receiving. That is a, it is a large subject to tackle. And I, and the organization for that. So, and you kind of already mentioned it. So what does the program and the association aim to achieve with this, with Safe and Sound? Right. So, you know, a lot of the people that we work with, at least those who are cycling in and out of the criminal justice system, we notice that they're also suffering from any type of degree of mental illness. So from moderate to severe, we recognize that many times that's the driver behind the types of behavior that we're observing. And so while we know that it's still very important to address things at the level where we have to enforce and make sure that we're responding to incidents in lifetime, we also have to make sure that we're setting up the preventative measures to make sure that people in the future don't end up in these situations and the people who are right now get the help that they really need. Okay. And you mentioned earlier that your, your specific position is new and it was created, newly created. So tell us why or what the need was for your role. Yeah. So like I was mentioning before, there's a lot of big stakeholders involved in this project and they were looking for someone really just one to make sure that everybody was on the same page and moving forward. But also as we go into year two and really focus kind of on the sound piece of the work to really lead the way as far as creating some kind of infrastructure or a systems building approach to making sure that people get the right mental health support. And so ideally they were looking for somebody with both criminal justice and mental health experience. Oftentimes I feel like you're either one or the other, but my passion is in both and I pursued graduate degrees in both, hoping that one day I could bring the two together and serve the community that way. So I feel like it's a perfect match for me at this point in my professional journey and just super excited to continue. And we're super excited as well to see what you're going to do in this particular position. So you had sent us a graphic for safe and sound. So hopefully we can prop that up there. While we're doing that, tell us more about what the program has been doing, especially when it comes to addressing crime in the Waikiki area. Right. So a big part of safe and sound being created was because the community here noticed an uptick in crime post COVID when we opened up again. And so it was everybody coming together, trying to figure out a collective way for us to respond to that. And so you'll be able to see in the graphic. But year one was really focused on the safe piece. So a lot of it is just quick enforcement and making sure that we are responding to crime quickly, as well as doing what we can to deter crime and making sure that it doesn't occur in the first place. And so one thing that the city did was they went ahead and hired nighttime security guards for Waikiki. So they're going to be there from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. So even in the nighttime hours, you'll see off-duty officers who are just working to deter crime and make sure that people aren't getting into trouble during those hours. I think that is wonderful. And I like that you are focused on safety. What is the organization's connection or partnership with HPD, if any, since you did talk about security in the evenings as well? Yeah, so HPD is actually a really close partner of ours. And they've been wonderful in supporting the work that we do. And so when it comes to specifically the Waikiki area, we work with our district six officers and they are really on the ball in making sure that we are up to date with the cases that they're working on as well as getting data from us about what we would like to see in the community and how we can address that together. We just had a meeting earlier this morning, so we're in frequent communication with them. And they've been wonderful as far as keeping us up to date with things. That's awesome. So you already touched upon some of the initiatives that Safe and Sound is doing for this year. What are some other programs or initiatives that you're looking to do in year two? Right. So as I was mentioning before, year one was really focused on the safe piece of Safe and Sound. And in year two, we plan to continue that, but we also want to bring in more initiatives to focus on the sound piece of that work. And so one thing that we're doing, which is really exciting, is we just launched a partnership with IHS. And that gives us the opportunity to have a dedicated case worker to work with us specifically in the Waikiki area. So this will be a senior level clinical case worker who I'll be working really closely with. So we can just have dedicated tracking. We have somebody out doing the street outreach work who gets to know these people, know their case histories and backgrounds. And also for the people who are severely mentally ill, this partnership allows us to jump into the ACT program or assisted community treatment, which I can go into shortly. Let's go into that, Sadie. What is the ACT program? Yeah. So ACT stands for Assisted Community Treatment and it's not a brand new program. It's something that the state has already been doing here. And really what it is, it's a court ordered program. So people can get mandated to take the medications that they need to remain stabilized. So for those who are severely mentally ill, they'll be able to take the medication to kind of stabilize out. And then from there, we can work with them to get treatment or housing or the types of support that they actually need that they may not have been able to make informed decisions about before that. Okay. And let's talk about some of them because you talked about the program. Let's go over some challenges that you may have ran into so far. If you were able to discuss them, what are some challenges that the Safe and Sound program has ran into? Yeah, that's a great question. So there's two that I want to bring up. The first one is that we try and we do our best to offer these great services to people, but not everybody is open to it. So we do run into a lot of people who are service resistant. And from there, we try not to have to force it on to them, but we do have to think of innovative ways that we can continue to work with them on. So for people who might not be open to treatment or housing or any type of mental health support, we can think of other ways that we can work with them. But a new addition with the street outreach worker and having more time out on the streets with them is that hopefully they can create that bond of trust so that hopefully they'll be more receptive to getting the types of help that they need. And then another challenge that we have is, I'm not sure if you're familiar with it, but a feature of the Safe and Sound program is geographic restrictions. And it's tied to somebody's probation, but pretty much while somebody in the Waikiki area is on probation, they're not allowed to come back into the community for either six months or a year. So it's temporary, but sometimes they come back, right as soon as they're let out, we notice them back into the community, but many times it's because they're going through a mental health condition and just don't understand. So I think the ACT program and our assisted or in large capacity with our IHS partnership will be able to help with that. Are there other organizations that you may want to mention, aside from IHS and HPD, that are part of this program to assist individuals that you're servicing? Yeah, so we work deeply with the prosecuting attorney's office. So they're a big part of this person's journey as they go through the criminal justice system and maybe from there get diverted to mental health treatment, jail time if needed, or just our goal is to get them the type of help that they actually need instead of jail time ideally. But we also work with the business community here in Waikiki. So we have HLTA as an example, but a lot of our hotel owners are another one who just really show a vested interest in wanting to keep our communities safe. Waikiki, as we all know, is an economic hub for the state. And so we want to make sure that it's a place that even visitors and residents alike desire to come and visit and they feel safe doing so. So we all share that common goal. And then lastly, I think one, probably the most important part is that the people who live here are really invested in this work too. So we go to the neighborhood board meetings and we're in touch with a lot of the residents here who share their concerns with us. And they are very honest, which I appreciate and that we know how we can best help them because at the end of the day, they're the ones living it. We are here trying to make sure that we can service them during our work hours, but this is life for them. So it really means a lot to me to be able to make sure that they're happy with the work we do. I appreciate that. And again, it can be daunting. What you folks are doing right now can be daunting, right? How did you, well, let me backtrack. You've always been passionate about safety and bad arena. Where does that passion come from? That's a great question. So I, for as long as I can remember, I have always had an interest in pursuing criminal justice. And so I did my undergraduate studies in it and I was doing my practicum at the public defender's office and for a moment, that was my goal. I wanted to become an attorney and I wanted to be a criminal defense attorney. And so I spent a lot of time in our jails and in our prison systems, but it was there that I saw just this wide array of people who I felt are actually dealing with mental health issues. And it's not necessarily fixing the crime that they did, but it's fixing the driver behind what caused them to do it. And so that was a really big turning point for me as far as the type of career that I saw for myself. And so after I did my master's in criminal justice, I jumped into a master's in counseling, specializing in mental health. So I thought if I could just find a way to blend the two, then that is the work that I'm here on this earth to do. And right now I found that. So I think that's my driver. I think that is absolutely wonderful. I have so many other questions for you right now. But I kind of want to... Okay, so we've already talked about why you're passionate about it. As far as the businesses in the area though, that people that you, businesses that you collaborate with, companies, what can they do to keep Waikiki a safer place? And what can they do to work with you in your organization for this mission? Right. So I think just open communication is a really big part of that. So we have, like I was mentioning in the beginning, our ambassador team and they're out all hours of the day. And they're wearing neon green shirts for a reason. So you can see them and reach out to them if there's anything that you need them for. So they are a great resource if there are any questions or concerns that you have. If there's somebody causing trouble outside of a business or a hotel, you can reach out to them, as well as HPD of course. But we want to make sure that there's various avenues of being able to get help quickly. And so you can physically reach out to somebody in person. Our ambassadors also have a hotline that you can call. And that'll connect you to someone really quickly. But it's just open communication. So between us ambassadors, HPD is in communication with us too. So we just don't want anybody to be left with questions on what they can do if they need help. Tell us more about the ambassadors. I see them all this time. And I love that they are also part of the initiative that he's Waikiki safe. But I know off the bat, when I first started seeing them, I thought they were people that would just talk about Waikiki. So delve into that a little bit more. Yeah, I would love to. They are a wonderful group of people. So the ambassadors, you'll see walking around just the Waikiki area. We have them in safety, custodial, and hospitality. So you'll see them doing a wide variety of things. But really, these are people who just represent Aloha. And you're able to go up and talk to them and talk story, or if you need directions, or if you need them for a safety reason, they're there. But these are some of the most kind and compassionate people that I've ever met. And when I started, I did walk around Waikiki with them in the different areas, the focus that they have. And these people are really, really passionate about what they do. And some work here until they retire. And they just love being in the area and love servicing people. But really, they work to keep the area clean. And kind of looking pristine and making sure that areas are safe for people. But they also help with giving directions, or if you need a tour somewhere, they're there to help with that. So they're a huge part of what we do. And we get frequent feedback about how much the visitors and the residents are impacted by their good work. I appreciate that. And again, keeping Waikiki safe is not just an issue in Waikiki. I know it's statewide as well. And then you also talked about the people in particular, homeless and house individuals in Waikiki that we want to take care of, but we also want to make sure that everyone feels safe. So as far as those discussions go, can you delve more into why it's more complicated than just, hey, let's move this particular population out? Yes, that is a good question. And you're right in its complexity. A lot of people, I want to say, are dealing with some type of mental health issues. So for example, if we see somebody who's going through something and we try to give them housing, they're not in a space where they can really keep that up and be able to maintain that housing on their own. So first, we have to deal with whatever mental health issues and treatment issues that they're actually in need of. So I think it's a level of priority of what kinds of help that they need first. And so we're trying to make sure, and a big part of my role will be to create that systems approach to, okay, we have this person that we're working with, who are the people that they need to be working with at this stage now so we can get them up to be ready for the next thing. So that's something that means a lot to me. And I also recognize, you know, a lot of the times with the geographic restrictions, for example, that getting someone out of Waikiki doesn't negate the issue itself, which is the fact that they're, you know, in continuous cycles of crime, they might go into neighboring communities and try and do the same thing too. So that's why I'm a huge advocate for reaching the issue at as deep a level as we can and figure out those drivers behind it, or else it doesn't matter where they go, they'll keep continuing that behavior. And a lot of times it's just to, you know, meet an unmet need of theirs. So it's really working with them to figure out what that need is. And thank you for going over that. I sincerely appreciate you for doing that. Is there anything else that we have not gone over that you would like to talk about regarding the Waikiki Business Improvement District and or the Safe and Sound program that you are spiriting? Yeah, I think, you know, I think we covered the basics. The Waikiki Business Improvement District is involved in a lot of good work in the Waikiki area. We do have a new President and Executive Director, Trevor Aburzua, and he is leading the way as far as initiatives and leading change in this area too. So I'm really excited to be a part of this team. And as far as Safe and Sound, I think the new work that we'll be spearheading in the mental health space is going to be really good. So we're still in the early process of that IHS partnership, and we're still hiring out for that new caseworker. So hopefully soon we'll have that person in place. But as far as the ACT program, I'll, for example, be helping with building the cases, to petition to the judges to be able to work with these people who need help really badly. So, and hopefully, you know, in a year, when we look back at year two, we can talk about all this good mental health work that we've been doing. Yes, Katie, we can have you back on the show. Absolutely, I would love to. Thanks. For individuals out there who may be interested in going into the line of work that you are currently in, what are some lessons or advice that you would like to share with them? That's a great question. So I think, you know, for myself personally, I just followed what I was really passionate about with the hopes that one day it would culminate into a career that offered me the chance to explore everything in real time. My advice would be just to follow your heart and to do what you're interested in anyway and the position or the opportunity will come to you. But to also put yourself in that network and that, you know, in those environments before that and just get yourself exposed to the type of work that you're interested in. So whether it's volunteering in our community, for example, we have the community policing team who does walks around Waikiki every now and then. So something like that would be an example and they get involved in to meet the officers, to meet the outreach workers and things like that. So put yourself in that arena, but also just trust that it's going to work out for you if you're following your heart. I absolutely love that. If people want to learn more about the Waikiki Business Improvement District, where do or if they want to get a hold of you, where do they go? Yeah, so we just launched a bunch of social media outlets. So we now have an Instagram under the Waikiki Business Improvement District as well as a LinkedIn. And then you can always go on our website where we have the staff names and our contact information. So that's probably the best place where you can reach me. I believe my email is on there, but if not, we can make sure that our contact info is put up there. And we have a few minutes left in the show, Katie. Is there anything else or vision, aspirations that you would like to share before we conclude this wonderful conversation that we had today regarding what you do, what you're passionate about, and the Waikiki Business Improvement Association and the Safe and Sound Program? You know, this work, like you mentioned, is really complex. And it can be a challenge when you're working with people sometimes who are not that receptive to help. But I don't see that as a sign to back away or to stop doing this work because we feel like it's too difficult. I know that we're laser focused on the Waikiki area, but I think long term, my vision would be to use this program and create some kind of infrastructure that we can utilize and grow to other communities. So just the power of a collective team. So the prosecuting office, HPD, all of our social service providers, everybody working together, maybe a designated person from each branch. But if that works here, it's worth a try to bring to other areas around the state. So I think that would be my biggest goal. And the Safe and Sound Program is modeled after the existing weed and seed programs, which is around the island here. So it's a very similar infrastructure, but my goal would be to kind of have Waikiki be that pilot. And if we can create some success and refer people to the types of help that they need and then see them off the streets thriving, that would be success for me. Thank you, Katie, for being here and taking the time to talk to us today. We have been talking with Katie Kahanui of the Safe and Sound Program through the Waikiki Business Improvement District. Thank you again for being on the show. And thank you for Think Tech Hawaii and people like Jay Fiedel, who make shows like this happen. I also want to thank Haley for helping us out with the back end of getting shows like this up and running. Until next time, aloha.