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Entr 380 pres. 2 homelessness
- 1. Being Homeless in Hawaii By Lois Dearden
- 2. Can anyone afford to live here?
- 3. Is it a choice? Failed attempt at a new life Escaping cold winters A lifestyle
- 4. “Compassionate disruption” Affecting tourism Relocation and uncertainty
- 5. Mayor – state of emergency Non-profit organizations Social workers and police
- 6. Thank You!
Editor's Notes
- Front page
- Hawaii has the one of the highest living costs per capita and also the highest levels of homelessness per capita in the nation. Although people living on the streets come from a variety of backgrounds, is it any surprise that the levels are so high giving the sky high living costs here? Minimum wage in Hawaii barely covers the amount needed to buy the necessities of life, and if you are living on the streets like many people in Hawaii, even getting a job seems like a million miles away, so it’s really no wonder why the levels of homelessness are increasing.
- Sometimes as humans we can look at a group of people in the same situation and assume they are all the same. But as we know, this is not the case. After doing some research, I have found that there are many different reasons why people end up on the streets, and not all of them are sad stories. Some people have found themselves in their situation because of a failed attempt at a new life. They moved to Hawaii on their last few dollars hoping to land a great job and life but it just didn’t happen, and now they don’t have a way to get back home. Less than 20% of homeless people are able to get out of their situations. Others were already homeless but decided that if they were going to be on the streets, they better do it right, so chose to move to Hawaii to escape the cold winters of their own home towns. And lastly, there are some that choose to be homeless. They don’t want the hassle of having bills to pay or solid jobs to go to, so they choose a carefree, easy life that they feel suits their wants and needs – and they are happy doing so. http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2016-6-insane-realities-being-homeless-in-hawaii.html
- Due to the high amounts of homelessness in Hawaii, especially in the city, the government passed a series of laws in an attempt to rid the sidewalks, beaches and parks of homeless people, and in large, they have done so. They call it “compassionate disruption” because they want to make sure that the streets are cleared up, but they are also trying to provide a series of ways that can help the homeless people in return. Nearly a quarter of Hawaii’s income comes from tourism so there’s no wonder why they want to clean up public places. In fact, the no.1 reason why people said they would not return to Hawaii was because of the homeless people. Many homeless people live in uncertainty as they are often forced from their areas of living and have to relocate. Some people thought that this was a breach of human rights, so Honolulu ended up signing a stipulation agreeing to wait 45 days before destroying seized items and at least 24 hours before moving people from an area. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/us/hawaii-homeless-criminal-law-sitting-ban.html?mcubz=0 http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2016-6-insane-realities-being-homeless-in-hawaii_p2.html
- The mayor announced that they were in a state of emergency to find space for homeless people to go after leaving their areas. They have even set aside around $1.3 million in order to fund homeless services and help to house individuals and families in chronic homelessness. There are many non-profit organizations which are trying to help the homeless population in Hawaii by providing food, tents, tarps, clothing, medical care and even eye glasses. Access to government benefits and identification was also given, which is necessary to be able to get help with housing etc. Social workers and police have also been working together to direct homeless people to places where they can get help. For example driving them to shelters, getting them to drug recovery programs and also working with members of the community to help these people. http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/17/us/hawaii-homeless-emergency/index.html http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/09/05/hawaii-news/18-agencies-offer-services-to-homeless-in-waipahu/ http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/08/11/hawaii-news/social-service-workers-and-police-join-forces-to-aid-homeless/
- Thank You