Homeless in Waianae

[tutusue]

After a 3 week spate of work that kept me in town during that time, I finally headed home. I was stunned to see, after that short time, the number of tents along the beach from Nanakuli to Waianae town. Eventually I drove up the coast passed Makua. Same thing. Today I walked the beach in front of my condo. Just passed the Makaha end of the building, closer to the beach park fronting the old Cornet's, were more tents. KHON covered this situation the other night but limited it to Nanakuli. The rental market along the Waianae Coast is now prohibitive to the people who most need it. Waianae used to be 'affordable'...relative to the rest of Oahu. No more. Such a sad situation.

[TurquoiseDuck]

Re: Homeless in Waianae

After a 3 week spate of work that kept me in town during that time, I finally headed home. I was stunned to see, after that short time, the number of tents along the beach from Nanakuli to Waianae town. Eventually I drove up the coast passed Makua. Same thing. Today I walked the beach in front of my condo. Just passed the Makaha end of the building, closer to the beach park fronting the old Cornet's, were more tents. KHON covered this situation the other night but limited it to Nanakuli. The rental market along the Waianae Coast is now prohibitive to the people who most need it. Waianae used to be 'affordable'...relative to the rest of Oahu. No more. Such a sad situation.

Yes it is very sad. It is not only on that side..... Have you taken a look at Ala Moana Park recently ? It is unreal how many people are living there. They do not allow tents to be pitched there at night, only in day time. So the people there, are out in the wind and the rain with no tents at night. I hope that the State takes some positive action soon. I cannot figure out why there cannot be a designated place for homeless people to pitch tents and live there safely. I had no idea how many people are living outside here until a few weeks ago. Yes, I hear the news......now I see it with my own eyes every day. I do not think there is any "affordable" housing left..... if there ever was such a thing.

People that are mentally ill, alcoholics and drug addicts are all out there....together with others who are down on their luck....out of a job.....can't pay this high rent.......It just makes me sick in my heart to see all this going on.....and the State just shuffles them out, to another place. And the cycle continues. Violence, crime, hunger..........hopelessness in their eyes. Standing in line to accept a free meal provided by a church.......dirty clothes......no shoes......in need of medical help......hoping to get a meager second helping of food. Oh yeah there are programs.....IHS, River of Life.....unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, over crowding.....or the alternative of living outside ......taking cold showers at the beach taken while wearing clothes......Now if a person is not mentally ill when they become homeless I think all of it would be more than enough to cause them to become mentally ill. I know I could not do it and maintain much sanity.

Are there any real answers ? What is a the solution ?







What choice do these unfortunate people have ?

[MadAzza]

Re: Homeless in Waianae

I have to ask ... How many of these people moved to Hawaii with grand dreams about being organic farmers, college professors, professional surfers or whatever? Do we know that these people were ALL priced out of the local housing market after having lived here for many years? No.

Maybe some of them moved here from elsewhere with unrealistic expectations.
Maybe some of them lived here for many years, even grew up here, then chose to give their lives to drugs and/or alcohol instead of paying their bills.
Yes, I know a lot of the homeless in any state or city are mentally ill. And a significant number after that are "down on their luck." But some of the homeless people have chosen to spend their money on something other than rent, food and utilities. And some, damn them to hell, also have decided (it doesn't "just happen") to have children, who are raised in that environment, and who are used to tug at our heartstrings. And it continues.

[MadAzza]

Re: Homeless in Waianae

Well, of course, that made me sound cold and mean and uncaring, which I am not. I'm just trying to bring up another point of discussion.

I just know I'm going to get red mark for that, from someone who doesn't want to have an actual discussion, God forbid. <sigh>

[alohabear]

Re: Homeless in Waianae

Yes it is very sad. It is not only on that side..... Have you taken a look at Ala Moana Park recently ? It is unreal how many people are living there. They do not allow tents to be pitched there at night, only in day time. So the people there, are out in the wind and the rain with no tents at night. I hope that the State takes some positive action soon. I cannot figure out why there cannot be a designated place for homeless people to pitch tents and live there safely. I had no idea how many people are living outside here until a few weeks ago. Yes, I hear the news......now I see it with my own eyes every day. I do not think there is any "affordable" housing left..... if there ever was such a thing.

People that are mentally ill, alcoholics and drug addicts are all out there....together with others who are down on their luck....out of a job.....can't pay this high rent.......It just makes me sick in my heart to see all this going on.....and the State just shuffles them out, to another place. And the cycle continues. Violence, crime, hunger..........hopelessness in their eyes. Standing in line to accept a free meal provided by a church.......dirty clothes......no shoes......in need of medical help......hoping to get a meager second helping of food. Oh yeah there are programs.....IHS, River of Life.....unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, over crowding.....or the alternative of living outside ......taking cold showers at the beach taken while wearing clothes......Now if a person is not mentally ill when they become homeless I think all of it would be more than enough to cause them to become mentally ill. I know I could not do it and maintain much sanity.

Are there any real answers ? What is a the solution ?







What choice do these unfortunate people have ?

The State could make a designated place for homeless people to pitch tents ,but it would always come down to "not in my backyard". I mean if they city were to designate a small place on your street for the homeless to pitch tents, your neighborhood board would be up in arms and complaining. BTW... these people are "houseless", Hawaii is thier home.

[Miulang]

Re: Homeless in Waianae

We have "tent cities" up here, that are officially sanctioned by local governments and usually hosted on church grounds. We've got an unusual situation right now with Tent City 4, which just moved from a very rural part of King Co. to a busier part of Bellevue. The NIMBYs in the area are upset, so much so that the Bellevue City Council changed the ordinance so that the Jewish synagogue is only supposed to take 40 Tent City residents and only for 60 days, instead of the normal 75 residents for 90 days. The chief rabbi told the press that if 100 people showed up, they had space for the 100 people, and they will be allowed to stay there for the full 90 days. Since the temple is on private property, I doubt the City of Bellevue is going to go down there with riot troops to oust the residents when 60 days are up.

The rabbi said that it's not that the congregation wants to break the law, but that they are there to help ease a critical social need. Every Christmas we go to one of the Tent Cities (there are 2 in the area) and give those men and women a bunch of food, clothing and toiletries. Almost all of them have jobs, but don't make enough money to pay for rent.

Miulang

[alohabear]

Re: Homeless in Waianae

This sounds like something right out of The Grapes Of Wrath.

[tutusue]

Re: Homeless in Waianae

[...] Almost all of them have jobs, but don't make enough money to pay for rent.

This is what touched me the most about the Nanakuli homeless news coverage. The reporter interviewed a woman who was newly homeless and she mentioned how many of the people on the beach just could no longer afford to rent. On the other side of that coin, a man who remained anonymous, talked about how he could no longer take his grandkids to the beach because, with the plethora of homeless people, the beach is no longer safe.

From my point of view, I was absolutely stunned at the number of tents along the coast that weren't there just 3 weeks previous.

[TurquoiseDuck]

Re: Homeless in Waianae

I have to ask ... How many of these people moved to Hawaii with grand dreams about being organic farmers, college professors, professional surfers or whatever? Do we know that these people were ALL priced out of the local housing market after having lived here for many years? No.

Maybe some of them moved here from elsewhere with unrealistic expectations.
Maybe some of them lived here for many years, even grew up here, then chose to give their lives to drugs and/or alcohol instead of paying their bills.
Yes, I know a lot of the homeless in any state or city are mentally ill. And a significant number after that are "down on their luck." But some of the homeless people have chosen to spend their money on something other than rent, food and utilities. And some, damn them to hell, also have decided (it doesn't "just happen") to have children, who are raised in that environment, and who are used to tug at our heartstrings. And it continues.

I agree totally with all you have said. Some have decided to just live off the system, never work, and create more babies so they can keep living off the system. They cash in their food stamps for money and buy alcohol, drugs and cigarettes. Or, they simply shoplift the things they cannot pay for and want. They steal and fence things, or just sit on the street and sell their stolen articles right on the sidewalk. They take tourists bags off the beach while the tourists are swimming and no one is watching thier bags. Guys come along on bicycles and grab shopping bags or what ever.......no can chase down a person riding a bicycle. I thought I had seen everything and I had not seen any thing at all.

Today in Waikiki I saw a man take a skateboard off the pier in Waikiki. A few minutes later a friend of the owner of the skateboard called the owner out of the water. Needless to say, the skateboard was returned to the owner. The thief was walking around with a cast on his leg when he took the skate board. Maybe next time I see him he will have a cast on the other leg, too?

I also saw a Police Officer write a ticket to a barefoot, homeless person. The ticket was for....disturbing the trash. (not sure of the exact charge, some thing worded like that)...I did not see what the homeless person did. I see lots of people sifting through the contents of the trash containers to salvage returnable bottles.

I see homeless people picking up cigarett butts off the street and smoking them.

I see homeless people standing in line to get the food that is passed out by churches.

Good night. I have run down my batteries now.