Celebrating 50 Years of Service
Kōkua Kalihi Valley started in 1972 with four female employees from the Kalihi Valley community whose job it was to walk door to door, sharing the value of "Neighbors being neighborly to neighbors" through talk-story.
Out of these connections in the community, KKV grew volunteer medical and dental services. KKV moved to two renovated surplus trailers in 1973, and two years later opened O'ahu's first shelter for abused spouses and children.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s, KKV opened a new clinical site, and in 1986, the U.S. Public Health Service awarded KKV with its first Community Health Center grant. KKV was designated a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in 1989. KKV established a Youth Gang Prevention task force in 1991, and in 1994 KKV began providing Mental Health Services.
From 2001 to 2009, KKV opened a larger medical clinic and began its Elder Care programs. By 2003, KKV created the Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange (KVIBE) for youth. Around this time, KKV leased 100 acres from the State of Hawai'i to develop a nature park named Ho`oulu `Āina. What manifested was a community-based effort that included forestry management, farming, and Native Hawaiian healing practices. By 2009, KKV completed a capital campaign to build a new Wellness Center and established a partnership with the University of Hawai'i called the Medical Legal Partnership for Children.
Since 2011, KKV has continued to develop its facilities and community activities: in 2011, the Returning to our Roots (Roots) Program was established to meet the community's need for a healthier, more equitable food system. In 2012, KKV's Wellness Center opened to house Dentistry, Pharmacy, Roots, and Roots Café. A few years later, KKV started NieiRek and Seams Wonderful, job training programs for women, and Pacific Voices, an after school program. In 2018, KKV started the Pathways program and began its Trauma Informed Care program with community health workers and Behavioral Health.
