Chelsie Evans has been named the new executive director of Hawaiian Community Assets (HCA), Hawaiʻi’s largest Department of Housing and Urban Development-certified housing counseling agency. HCA serves over 1,500 local residents annually providing free financial counseling, income support, and career coaching.
Originally from Makawao, Evans has focused for most of her career on serving survivors of domestic violence, keiki displaced from their homes, and youth with barriers to their educational and career goals.
Before joining HCA, Evans was executive director of Maui Hui Mālama which works with at-risk youth. In her new role, she will help Native Hawaiians and other local residents fulfill their dreams of homeownership by helping to close the housing gap and by delivering high-quality financial and housing programs to the community.
Evans has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in human services. She has presented at national symposiums for social justice and domestic violence, and founded Wrapped in Wings, an organization that supports critically ill children and their families.
HCA and partner organization Hawaiʻi Community Lending have established the nation’s first-and-only network of Financial Opportunity Centers with offices on four islands. Together, they are working to build the capacity of low- and moderate-income families, especially Native Hawaiians, to achieve and sustain economic self-sufficiency by increasing income, building assets, and securing affordable housing.
See full article in Ka Wai Ola here.
