It's the human touch that turns a house into a home, even a temporary one.

And it was the human experience that inspired Ho'omalu O Na Kamali'i, a receiving home for children whose own households are in crisis.

Developer Michael Wood, who overcame a difficult childhood in a dysfunctional family to attain great business success, has presented the Wai'anae community with a gift that's both immensely generous and understanding of the problems that a troubled upbringing can cause.

Ground will be broken this week for Ho'omalu, which will be a 10-bedroom house able to accommodate multiple siblings from families for the short term, making the children's uprooting from their own home less traumatic.

This will buy social service workers more time to arrange housing that would keep the children in their home communities — in the same school districts with their friends, and sometimes with members of their extended 'ohana.

Wood provided about $1.2 million for its construction and furnishing, and pledged $400,000 annually for 20 years to help with operating costs.

But the greatest part of this gift was the wisdom to enlist the help of community volunteers, primarily the elders, to make the children feel welcome. One of these kupuna, Kanani Buluwan, explains:

"Whenever there's a separation there's always trauma, but our role is to assure the settlement of the child, making sure he is not pu'iwa, not too scared.

"Primarily by the creation of this home, the children are given the sense that they did not do anything wrong."

Wai'anae needed this help, with its many cases of children needing foster placement, but it would truly be a model for projects elsewhere in Hawai'i.

Meanwhile, we can all support this one, with our donations of clothes and other furnishings. Call Foster Family Programs of Hawai'i 521-9531 or visit www.FFPHawaii.org.

The home's name means "safe haven for our children," and there are few social needs more crucial than that.