Reasons:
Let’s dive into some statistics so that we can put the issue into perspective. Did you know that at least 6,300 people in Hawaii are homeless on any given day? 32% of those people are of Native Hawaiian ethnicity, 22% of those people actually have some form of employment, 14% of Hawaii’s homeless are veterans, and 11% of the homeless are children. Do you feel as if a huge wave of shock just hit you? I certainly was taken back by those numbers after originally reading them. Now that we have some cold hard facts, lets address the problem itself. You may be wondering, “why are so many of these people homeless?”. Many factors play into the homeless problem in Hawaii, such as the cost of living being as high as it is, substance abuse in the state, and the attraction of Hawaii itself. The beauty of the state draws many people who have the money to live there, while also attracting many people who don’t have the money to live there.
In the picture above, you can see how prominent the homelessness is on the Island. At first glance, you may think this is some sort of camp ground, but unfortunately these tents aren’t set up for just a weekend, rather they’re there to stay...for a while that is. It’s so sad to see such a juxtaposed picture as the one above. The gorgeous palm trees and water have a hint of sadness as we come to realize those people have nothing but a plastic tent to call home. Affordable housing is so scarce that these people who end up creating encampments in places like the one shown above, will eventually be forced off the land by police and will turn to life on the streets, literally. The increasing use of drugs such as crystal methamphetamine and heroin have also contributed to the problem at hand. Cultural alienation has been very prominent in the recent years due to the state’s efforts to support multiculturalism. Unfortunately, this has fueled the substance abuse problems among all ethnic groups, but particularly among Native Islanders. Cultural factors have made people feel limited to the care they can seek, as well as accepting certain care that they may be given.
The cost of living in Hawaii is hard to digest. The prices are double what most of us are accustom to. In the charts below (courtesy of civilbeat.com), you’ll see how Hawaii compares to other states and how absurd some of the statistics are. In the first graph, you’ll see how Hawaii ranks as the overall state with the highest hourly wage needed to rent a two bedroom home which comes in at roughly $32.00 an hour; that’s about $10.00 more than the national average of the wage needed to rent a two bedroom home. The cost of living is so expensive that one person can earn up to almost $55,000 a year and qualify for housing assistance on the island of Oahu.
In the picture above, you can see how prominent the homelessness is on the Island. At first glance, you may think this is some sort of camp ground, but unfortunately these tents aren’t set up for just a weekend, rather they’re there to stay...for a while that is. It’s so sad to see such a juxtaposed picture as the one above. The gorgeous palm trees and water have a hint of sadness as we come to realize those people have nothing but a plastic tent to call home. Affordable housing is so scarce that these people who end up creating encampments in places like the one shown above, will eventually be forced off the land by police and will turn to life on the streets, literally. The increasing use of drugs such as crystal methamphetamine and heroin have also contributed to the problem at hand. Cultural alienation has been very prominent in the recent years due to the state’s efforts to support multiculturalism. Unfortunately, this has fueled the substance abuse problems among all ethnic groups, but particularly among Native Islanders. Cultural factors have made people feel limited to the care they can seek, as well as accepting certain care that they may be given.
The cost of living in Hawaii is hard to digest. The prices are double what most of us are accustom to. In the charts below (courtesy of civilbeat.com), you’ll see how Hawaii compares to other states and how absurd some of the statistics are. In the first graph, you’ll see how Hawaii ranks as the overall state with the highest hourly wage needed to rent a two bedroom home which comes in at roughly $32.00 an hour; that’s about $10.00 more than the national average of the wage needed to rent a two bedroom home. The cost of living is so expensive that one person can earn up to almost $55,000 a year and qualify for housing assistance on the island of Oahu.
In the next graph, we see that Hawaii comes in first again, as the state with the highest prices for goods and services. New York is very close to Hawaii’s percentage, which is interesting considering both are very different locations. Although they are different, they share the common trait of having a high cost of living which also explains the prominent issue of homelessness in both states. Following the goods and services graph, you’ll see the cost of highest monthly electric bills which again show Hawaii at the top with $0.37 cents per kilowatt hour.
If you didn’t believe me when you thought the cost of living in Hawaii was extremely high, do you believe me now? People have to keep in mind that Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, meaning its 2,500 miles from the West coast where most of their ports are located. Shipping majority of goods to the island comes at a high price. Some people say that other sources of the high coast of living in Hawaii are due to “unions, a lack of competition, (our) small consumer marker, hight taxes,” (page 1, Murakami).