For nearly 40 years, James Worley (left) and John Decker have helped people facing homelessness find housing on Maui through their volunteer work as board members for the nonprofit Ka Hale A Ke Ola Resource Center. The two were honored Thursday for their longtime contribution to the community. Maui News photo/Gary Kubota

Some might have thought John Decker, as the managing director of the Air Force’s satellite-tracking observatory at Mt. Haleakala, was too busy supervising 50 people.

But Decker, as well as real estate business owner James Worley, embarked with several other people on a mission to help those facing homelessness on Maui — work they’ve done now for nearly 40 years as board members at the Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center.

Both Decker, 89, and Worley, 88, who are retiring from the board, were honored Thursday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center for helping to build the nonprofit, a place that has aided thousands of people facing homelessness while also serving as a safety net for the poor and a bridge to employment including job training and education.

Maui County Managing Director Josiah Nishita presented mayoral certificates of recognition honoring their work

“It’s just an amazing service to the community,” Nishita said.

A number of people including Decker and Worley met with the Bishop Joseph Ferrario in Honolulu to get permission to use the old abandoned church near the old Puunene School as a homeless shelter. They also had to get support to refurbish the building including its plumbing system.

Worley recalled they began by serving and delivering meals, which led them to realize how badly people needed housing. “When we started to deliver and serve meals to the old abandoned church at Puunene, all of us became aware housing was the most important thing next to food,” he said.

With the arrival of women and children requiring shelter, sheets were strung on a clothesline as a way to create private living quarters inside the church.

Housing advocate Stan Franco recalled Decker was involved in helping to find and develop the land owned at Waiale Drive by the Maui County. Worley said he and his wife wanted to do more than move to Maui.

“We wanted to find a way to be a part of the community,” he said.

Worley also helped find Charlie Ridings, who had grant-writing skills and became the executive director of Ka Hale A Ke Ola.

Ridings operated out of a construction trailer on the grounds of Christ the King in 1991. A groundbreaking with Bishop Ferraro, Monsignor Terrence Watanabe and Maui County Mayor Linda Lingle took place in May 1992. Lingle announced a $1.5 million county grant to the project.

With 35 real estate agents working for him, Worley had the good fortune of connections with wealthy individuals who, like him, wanted to become a part of the Maui community.

Worley said the shelter operated under good business principles.

“We applied business disciplines to a social service problem,” Worley recalled.

Decker added: “It seems obvious in retrospect, but it sure wasn’t obvious at the time.”

When the homeless center opened in March 1993, 18 corporations pledged contributions, 32 pledges came from the board and staff, and 40 from the community. Maui Electric and GTE Hawaiian Tel and Chronicle Cablevision installed utilities for free.

About 40% of the shelter’s residents were children from 14 different ethnic backgrounds.

“It was very satisfying helping women with kids,” Decker said. “I have on a mirror a card that I received from a kid saying, ‘You are much braver and stronger than you think.’ It’s on the mirror when I have bad days.”