A single dad with two daughters and a puppy, Moses Piohia volunteered with Honolulu Habitat for Humanity to construct houses for six other families in the course of the last few years, paying it forward with nearly 700 hours of his time.

When he was selected for a home in Waimanalo, over 400 volunteers returned the favor. 

Moses, a veteran, was also magnet for scores of active-duty volunteers whose t-shirts proclaimed, “Every veteran deserves a decent place to live.”

The same can be said for all of Hawai‘i’s families experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity, and the legacy of discriminatory lending practices. 

When I was invited to contribute my time as a photographer by Honolulu Habitat, I was eager to document his story as it combines two important interests of mine: architecture and portraiture. 

This portfolio records the human side of a community coming together to demolish and then build a home for a worthy local family during and despite the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the greatest challenges our global community has seen in a century.

 

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