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Homeless solution hawaii
- 1. Homeless in Hawaii Solutions Amanda Lyzwinski
- 2. Hawaii has the highest per capita population of homeless in the nation
- 4. Kurisu’s plan for Kahuiki is to build a modular home city where they already are living
- 6. Have the homeless be involved in every aspect of building the community
Editor's Notes
- At 505 homeless per 100,000 residents Hawaii beat out New York and California in homeless per capita. This discouraged tourism and led to one of the top reasons people said they would not come back to Hawaii. In Honolulu, two years ago tents lined the beaches and people could be found in doorways, sidewalks, and benches. At that time a state of emergency was called upon by the governor of Hawaii and extreme reform was made to dealing with the homeless.
- Most homeless people have mental diseases, extreme physical problems, and heart and liver problems. In the Queen’s Medical Center alone, $10 million a year are unreimbursed from medical expenses of nearby homeless. When homeless were given housing, their medical expenses decreased by 43%. Housing provided a more stable environment were homeless people could be more relied upon to seek medical attention early and cooperate with rehabilitation programs.
- Local businessman Duane Kurisu believes the solution lies in affordable housing. In Kahuiki there is a homeless community. Many live in shacks as the land is unwanted. Kurisu wants to build modular homes there as affordable housing for the homeless. He reached out to a company that built homes in Japan after the big tsunami hit. Now that the homes are unnecessary the company planned to throw them away. Kurisu convinced them to send the homes to Hawaii to build the shelter. Modular homes are 10% of the cost of regular buildings, they are easier to put up, and are more secure than other temporary homes. His company aio and local nonprofits would foot the bill for construction, the homes would provide a community for the homeless that would preserve their dignity. It would house 840 people total, the lesees would be the city of Honolulu. His plan is to have the first section built by the end of this year.
- I agree with Kurisu that the homeless need not only homes, but a community. They need to retain their dignity and be provided opportunities. I think if we have a homeless initiative we can build on Kurisu’s idea. We can have the healthy homeless contribute to building their own modular homes. If we build on areas that homeless already living, it will be an easier transition, they will gain life skills for building and appreciate it better.