Kinahoi is keeping an eye on his team working in a busy a barber shop near Newcastle, in NSW. The 32-year-old entrepreneur of Tongan heritage motivates his seven staff to work and train hard.
“I try to get the boys to go down that path, so that when they do leave me or go to another shop, they have the certificate,” he says.
Osika Lolohea is among those gaining new skills.
"I am doing the rest of my apprenticeship at TAFE at the moment,” he says. "And I hope one day to become qualified."
Osika at the barber shop. Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
The barber shop called 88Cuts is just one year old, and is one of Kinahoi’s three businesses. He also does t-shirt printing and fitness training.
And the new ventures are growing steadily.
“I feel really good. I feel happy because I'm winning battles. In one year, I've paid off my loans and I've just bought a new car and a new house.”
It’s a success story Kinahoi could hardly have imagined growing up in Campbelltown in Sydney’s west, as one of 11 children.
As a teenager, Kinahoi says classroom learning held little interest.
“It was hard because mum and dad didn't talk English. So, the work at school was different to what was happening at home.”
After Kinahoi’s parents separated, his father worked several jobs to support the children.
“So he was working all the time, and we didn't have much time with dad. We were pretty much left to do whatever and with whomever.”
Kinahoi later spent more than a decade in-and-out of youth detention centres and adult prison.
He felt unable to break the cycle of conflict with the law until, in 2015, his 28-year-old sister Moala died suddenly.
Kinahoi's sister, Moala. Credit: Supplied Kinahoi
"Those words that I did not want to hear really hit me the day I lost her. And I started fighting battles that I had never fought."
With the support of Father Chris Riley’s charity Youth off the Streets, one of Australia’s largest youth services, Kinahoi gradually transformed his life.
These days he aims to be a good role model for his 12-year-old son, and a mentor for other young people.
Kinahoi’s long-time friend Joseph Ratuvou, who is now team leader of Youth off the Streets’ Dunlea and Hunter Valley Youth Services, is proud of what Kinahoi has achieved.
“Seeing him today, it has highlighted for our community that you can achieve great things despite adversity,” he says.
“And the one thing about Kinahoi is that he is determined, he says 'I want that, and I am going to get it done'.
“And now he is putting that mindset into business, and into his son who is growing up to be this beautiful young person.”
Kinahoi with his 12 year old son. Credit: Supplied Kinahoi
Youth off the Streets provides food and crisis accommodation, and says demand is soaring.
“We are seeing a lot more young people not just under 18s, but under 16s who are experiencing homelessness, even more so now than in the last two years before Covid.” Mr Ratuvou says.
“Young people are facing homelessness because they can't afford housing. Just securing employment to pay for it, is a massive issue.”
Joseph Ratuvou, from Youth off the Streets. Credit: Supplied
Young females had a homelessness rate of 70 people per 10,000 in 2021, up from 68 in 2016, and were more likely than males to be living in in supported accommodation for the homeless.
Acting Director of Youth Support Services at Youth off the Streets Michelle Ackerman says action is needed to prevent multiple long-term impacts.
Michelle Ackerman, from Youth off the Streets. Credit: Supplied
“And we know that the earlier a young person experiences homelessness, the more likely they are to remain trapped in that cycle throughout their adult life.”
Youth off the Streets is calling on the government to invest in a standalone national strategy to respond to child and youth homelessness, in the lead-up to the May 2023 budget.
Having restarted his life, Kinahoi is now focussed on mentoring other young people in schools and soon also in NSW prisons. And he has this advice for those wanting to make a change.
“Get up now, work hard, and set new challenges. What pushes me is the friends that I've lost, the friends that I've lost to jail, the friends that I've lost to drugs and suicide.
“So if you are ready to start afresh and do good for yourself and your family, I can help. But it has to be you. If you are ready to change, let's go.”
