While state relief is slow-coming, if at all, Waiʻanae’s houseless are already addressing their community needs within an indigenous framework that values kuleana, family and working together toward a common good. Read More »
Gene Ward's nonsensical urine bill still won't do anything to remedy our state's houselessness epidemic, no matter how much he believes in it. Read More »
Rep. Brower attracted national attention for his sledgehammer-wielding vigilantism (and for getting punched in the face while filming homeless encampments without permission) Read More »
More than a dozen houseless and formerly houseless individuals filed a class action lawsuit over the city’s immediate destruction of property today. Read More »
The ACLU-assisted settlement in a houseless Hawaii County man's free speech case has lead to revisions of several ordinances now found to be unconstitutional. Read More »
Sit-lie enforcement will resume next week as the city makes a concerted effort to displace houseless families from their current encampment in the under-development neighborhood. Read More »
The state released the neighbor island data from its 2015 Point in Time count today and, in all counties but Kauai, the number of houseless citizens has increased. Read More »
A new study shows the city's policy of “compassionate disruption” and its accompanying sit-lie laws cause significant property and economic loss, physical and psychological harm and very likely violate certain constitutional rights. Not only that, they make it much harder for houseless people to get off the streets and into permanent housing.
Read More »
Mayor Caldwell announced a plan to build Hale Mauliola, temporary modular housing, and to provide services for houseless on Sand Island site. Read More »
A brief rundown on three bills that would alleviate some of the unnecessary hardship inflicted upon our houseless citizens by city ordinances that target them unjustly. Read More »
The city's “compassionate disruption” strategy does more to hide the houseless problem from tourists than it does actually solve the underlying problems that lead to houselessness. Read More »
With Rep. Brower agreeing to put down his sledge hammer and hang up his cape, we decided to take a look at his 2013 voting record on bills relating to housing and the houseless. Read More »
Honolulu Councilman Ron Menor is proposing a new website where the houseless can post personalized donation requests for food, shelter or clothing. More at Civil Beat »
Between 100 to 500 houseless persons in Lahaina were evicted yesterday.
This will not be the last homeless encampment eviction, those who work with Maui's homeless said. There are 1,200 to 1,400 people homeless people on Maui, and "we simply do not have enough affordable housing to help everyone who is displaced," said Maude Cumming, executive director of the Family Life Center that provides housing for women and children in Kahului.
What I'm mostly concerned about is, what's going to happen to my loving family, a family for college next? What's going to come of them and many other homeless people? I don't want to be attending my college and have to be worried about everyone while I am attending. So could you help us to overcome a very, very, important situation please? I know with God's help, all of us who've been homeless for years, are going to overcome this obstacle!
My name is Gail D. Peeples. I'm one of many who lives at Kea‘au Beach Park along with my husband, daughter, son, son-in-law, and five minor grandchildren. We've all lived at Kea‘au Beach for approximately 15 years. We've also learned to adjust to living here over all the years.
The Hawaii Convention Center's foyer is crowned with canvas canopies, intended to be "reminiscent of ocean white caps and the sails of voyaging canoes." The canvas canopies may also resemble the makeshift homes and shelters of the thousands of houseless people living on Hawaii's streets each day. Photo by Vernon Brown
Ken, a houseless evictee, was one of the residents at "Guardrails" who had to leave behind much of his belongings when July 19 came last year. "People get the wrong idea about people living on the beach," Ken said. "I worked all my life. I made $180,000. I had two homes, everything else. Sometimes things just go bad. And when they do, you fall."
Above: Families across the Leeward Coast rely on social and educational programs funded by the State. Below: On July 8, Pōka‘i Bay became the classroom for Ka Pa‘alana Traveling Preschool. The teachers were two City and County lifeguards and members of The Polynesian Voyaging Society. It was a perfectly beautiful day for the families to be learning from these distinguished guests. Courtesy Photos
Houseless people sit beside their belongings along Fort Street Mall in the middle of Downtown Honolulu. Many of Hawaii's houseless sleep in the busiest parts of the island for the safety of being in public view.
Life Muses blogger Rozanne Paxman writes about her trip to Honolulu: "Hawaii has a large homeless population. One of our guides said that there are certain states and cities on the mainland that ship their homeless to Hawaii. They buy them tickets and give them some cash to get there. But once they get to Hawaii, they are stuck and can't leave. (You can't hitch-hike out.) I don't know if that is true, but it is true that we saw more homeless people in Hawaii than we have seen in any other place we have visited."
Ken, a houseless evictee, was one of the residents at "Guardrails" who had to leave behind much of his belongings when July 19 came. "People get the wrong idea about people living on the beach," Ken said. "I worked all my life. I made $180,000. I had two homes, everything else. Sometimes things just go bad. And when they do, you fall."
There are approximately 5,800 people counted as being houseless in Hawaii. Many houseless families live in small tent communities on beaches and in public parks.
The keiki of the Piilani family, above, were once one of the many children living houseless on the Waianae Coast. Programs like Ohana Ola provide transitional housing and educational programs for houseless families on the Leeward side of Oahu. There are an estimated 20,000 children in Hawaii who also live "doubled up" with friends or family because their families cannot afford a place of their own.
The front page image from Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance's website reminds Hawaii residents that children make up much of the houseless population in the islands.
Paul Ruddell, site coordinator for Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance, at a Neighborhood Board Meeting in Kailua makes a plea for community assistance in overcoming houselessness through volunteering time, money, and skills.