This week, Kahului welcomed its new Social Services Manager, Alohi Gomes. Alohi mainly grew up on Maui, but her father was in the military so her family moved between O’ahu and the Big Island as well. Alohi holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work with concentrations in Victimology and Chemical Dependency from Saint Martin’s University in Washington, and also has her Masters Degree in Social Work with a specialization in Child and Family from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Previous to joining our team, she worked as a Family Case Manager for the MEO Head Start Program.

Alohi always had a passion to help others. She recalls drawing her dream home as a child, and the home was filled with grandparents, wounded war veterans, and even stray animals, all of whom she wanted to care for. She finds it ironic that she ended up working at Hale Makua, which is the exact picture she drew in her childhood (minus the stray animals!).

Alohi is happy to be at Hale Makua, and says what excites her about working here is “Genuinely learning how I can foster and create an enriching environment for the four Social Services Assistants and really learn the ins and outs of what they do so I can support them to do the best job that they can do.”