Hawaii struggles with homelessness

Associated Press

HONOLULU

Every morning, Tony Williams wakes to the sound of waves crashing on Hawaii’s famed Waikiki beaches and has a spectacular view of the Pacific. But he’s not paying a cent for his priceless vista.

Williams is among the growing number of homeless on Oahu taking advantage of inviting beaches and support services in the islands, where they never have to worry about freezing. A census taken earlier this year showed there were more than 4,000 homeless on the island.

Officials fear homeless encampments on the beach could damage tourism, and they are weighing several proposals that they say would help the homeless while moving them from public view.

The proposals include offering plane tickets to the mainland, creating a homeless “tent city” on less-visible state land and providing more- affordable housing in Honolulu, where rents are among the nation’s highest.

“If you’re going to be homeless anywhere, it’s good to be here,” said Williams, a 35-year-old tattoo artist from Long Beach, Calif., as he hung his clothes to dry between two palm trees. “I’m dealing with the cards I got dealt. I don’t want to stay here forever.”

There were 4,171 homeless on the island of Oahu when a census was taken in January, according to the report released last month, an increase of 15 percent from the same time last year.

“They don’t seem to bother people, but it’s probably not the image Hawaii wants,” said Kathryn Novak, a tourist from Manchester, England, as she prepared to swim off Waikiki. “You’d imagine they’d have their own area, and not so much where the tourists are.”

The most contentious of the proposals would use state money to fly the homeless back to wherever they came from, as long as they have family at the destination to take them in. Proponents say the program would cost far less money than what is spent on food stamps and welfare payments.

They weigh a $300 one-way ticket to the West Coast against what they say is a $35,000-per-year cost for each person with services. But, some acknowledge, the scheme could also create problems.

Hawaii’s homeless would become another state’s problem. It also might provide an incentive for more homeless to travel to Hawaii if they knew they’d get a free ride home.

The idea is being scolded from afar.

“It’s basically a callous, ‘let’s turn our back on the problem’ approach to expect other cities to pick up and assume the responsibilities,” said John Fox, director of the Seattle Displacement Coalition. “In your community, you’re responsible and need to deal with the problem.”

Help for the homeless shouldn’t end with moving them out of sight, said Connie Mitchell, executive director for the Institute for Human Services, which runs two emergency shelters and offers support services.

“We need to find out what these people need to end their homelessness, not just put them in a place where people can’t see them,” Mitchell said. “What do these people need to make their lives better?”

Williams is proof that the plane-ticket plan could be abused. He took advantage of a similar program in New York City that flew him to Hawaii in the first place after he had a friend there pose as a family member to take him in.

Several Hawaii lawmakers want to pass legislation next year to start the $100,000 plane-ticket program.

A more-immediate solution would set aside “safe-zones” on government land where the homeless could camp in tents and have basic sanitary facilities.