Homeless in Hawaii
Man sleeping at a bus stop in Kaneohe, March 2010
Oahu has a alarming population of homeless. Hawaii’s high home and rental costs make it difficult for some low income residents to have any other option then living paycheck to paycheck. With the recession and many job losses many have been forced to become homeless calling public beaches and parks home.
The statistics show that there are upwards of 10,000 homeless on the island of Oahu alone. These were the only accurate statistics that I found and they were collected from 2006, so that number today is probably higher. Currently, on Oahu there are 22 homeless state agencies, 13 emergency homeless shelters, and 36 transitional shelters on the island (see Hawaii Public Housing Authority for more info). The government is currently in a fiscal crisis and has been cutting many of these types of agencies’ budgets. That can only mean that the solution to the homeless epidemic is not in the near future.
A visit to the Leeward coast and Waimanalo Beach Park reminds the rest of us that there is a serious problem among us. People seem to ignore the homeless tents in Ala Moana Beach Park, which are directly across the street from multi-million dollar real estate. I don’t have the answers to this never-ending issue, but all I ask is for Oahu residents to be aware, sympathetic, and give to others when you can.
