Hawaii's Homeless

[alohabear]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

For thoses of you who said "you were one of them " ....what did you do personally to get out? You made an effort to help yourself ....better yourself and I applaud you. I feel if everyone worked together a solution can be found. We all seem to rally together when something like a tsunami in another country leaves non-americans homeless, but what about our country? Does the world rally to help our people? Does corporate america give millions for american homeless? Do actors hold telethons for american homeless? Maybe if American took care of ourselves first, everyone would have a place to live.

[1stwahine]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

Maybe if American took care of ourselves first, everyone would have a place to live.

Good Morning Alohabear! Like I said before, there are many different situations, circumstances that can put anyone on the streets without WARNING.

In my case, after my husband of twenty years died, I suffered a stroke (CVA) two weeks after burying him. My teenage children became the ones who cared for me and took care of the whole shabang! My son applied for Housing and became the youngest to be a Head of Household the.

When my husband was alive, we had everything and then some. The funds and way of life that we knew, quickly changed. Instead of self-pity and blaming...my children and I, in my wheelchair, didn't give up the fight! It has to come from the HEART for if it doesn't, it will never work

This morning's news said POLICE will be going to five Beaches to evict The Homeless. I watched as a mother spoke on how they're being treated as criminals. She had no where to go...she also said, "They should just put us in one warehouse, at least we would have a roof "

So my question remains, Where do you think their going? Mountains and hide in caves? I think not. These are fellow citizen's of the State of Hawai'i. So, we should take care of our OWN

[alohabear]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

i WOULD GIVE THEM A BEACH... IT KEEPS THEM OFF THE STREETS AND GIVES THEM A "NEIGHBORHOOD". ALSO THIS COMMUNITY SAN HAVE THIER OWN NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD AND RIGHTS TO SERVICE.

[808blogger]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

So my question remains, Where do you think their going? Mountains and hide in caves? I think not. These are fellow citizen's of the State of Hawai'i. So, we should take care of our OWN

hmmmmm
seems to me maybe they should take care of themselves....If they cannot .... possibly the state hospital?
Many of the homless on the street in honolulu are not "with it" do these people even belong on the streets. The liberalism of our society has led people to believe the its ok to live on public property. This is wrong. I cannot setup a house at kapiolani park. Why should people be allowed to live on the street?
It has become non P/C to commit people to a hospital that cannot take care of themselves. so the budget for the state hostpital is no longer adequate... meanwhile lots of ridiculous failing social programs get funnded up the "behind" (for nice word). ever been behind someone in safeway that drops $80 bucks on his EBT card in groceries and then busts out his/her cash to pay for another $80 worth of booze? I am sure you have! we have all seen this happen many times....
This is the bottom line of the homeless problem, MANY of these people on the streets belong in a hospital PERIOD......
the rest of them LAME get a life....
its not the states job to take care of those that are lazy... get a job, hell get two jobs...
sometimes in life things are hard and we have to do things we dont want to to TOUGH LUCK... DONT LIVE on public property. Now I understand that there are times in every family/persons life when things get rough and those people are not what is at discussion here. It is the HABITUALLY HOMLESS. they are a different class of people. All i see in here is people looking around and blaming govt and themselves... "what can we do to help? " " take care of our own" BAH!!!
where have individual responsibilities gone? out the window. a society of gimme, a society of BUMS......
I say to these people get a JOB and GET A LIFE.. shut up and get of off public property....
and honolulu is not mean to the homeless ... Infact honolulu is very nice to homeless, they live for free in the parks , beaches and streets without any intervention (except for the few mentioned in earlier posts)......

[Albert]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

"its not the states job to take care of those ... "

You are totally illogical. You say put them in a State Hospital. Errr, who do you think pays for that? (Look in the mirror.)

It's bizarre. There was a covered bus stop across from the State Library (and Honolulu Hale) where usually three or four men slept each night. So they removed the entire structure, meaning everyone else has to wait in the rain for a bus. Just to get rid of a few homeless people.

[808blogger]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

"its not the states job to take care of those ... "

You are totally illogical. You say put them in a State Hospital. Errr, who do you think pays for that? (Look in the mirror.)

The mentally insane need to be in a state hospital (yes paid for by us)
but it is not the states job to take care of the LAZY BUMS that are homeless.
That is my point.... cut back on WELFARE and divert the funds back to the underfunded state hospital... (hence my story about the ebt alcoholic). I have no sympathy for able bodied homeless people.

[Albert]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

"So they removed the entire structure ... "

Ah, there is construction work going on at that bus stop, started Wednesday.

New luxury housing for the homeless?

[pzarquon]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

Albert: How long until the island-wide raids push enough people back to Aala Park that folks will be talking "tent city" again?

808: There are many homeless people who have full time jobs, raise their kids well and send them to school, have nothing to do with drugs or crime, but simply found themselves out on the street by cruel twist of fate - unpredictable landlord, unexpected medical bill, domestic violence...

Are you saying these "able-bodied homeless," deserve no sympathy? That only worthwhile homeless person is sick?

There are some folks out there homeless by choice. Some may be criminals, addicts, lazy bums. Some are all three! But with housing and rental prices the way they are, and the way all people - not just stupid people - often find themselves less than one paycheck away from the streets, it is quite possible to be a productive member of society and still be unable to afford housing.

I'd suggest you reconsider grouping all homeless in with the vagrant storing thirty full shopping carts of "treasure" under the freeway overpass.

[Albert]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

"Albert: How long until the island-wide raids push enough people back to Aala Park that folks will be talking "tent city" again?"

I'd love to see a mass protest by the homeless, set up tents on the lawn around Honolulu Hale.

Won't happen. The homeless, for the most part, just want to be left alone, aren't much interested in organized protest.

[1stwahine]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

"Albert: How long until the island-wide raids push enough people back to Aala Park that folks will be talking "tent city" again?"

I'd love to see a mass protest by the homeless, set up tents on the lawn around Honolulu Hale.

Won't happen. The homeless, for the most part, just want to be left alone, aren't much interested in organized protest.

Wanna bet? The parents who are "still" productive citizens will eventually get organized. For some, stupid decisions, medical or unexpected events occurred...it didn't take away being a parent and that is to protect one's child/children. Yes, EBT Alcoholics, Druggies, and just plain lazy "BUMS" or being all three as you say is getting higher and can be seen in clusters all over the island. Take a look at River of Life on Pauahi Street during Chow time. All kinds in line. The same people...the silent community of Chinatown.
Take a ride or if you dare, walk around the area during the day or night and you will find one of them sleeping in a doorway of a closed down establishment. Some, at a Bus Stop. Still, others spralled out anywhere they can. Aala Park doesn't need a Tent City, it's become standard to see green and blue tarps over shopping carts full of their belongings.

Where's the kids in all this craziness? With family or at another beach or place that was not raided by Police. Still attending school that they were registered in? Or excused due to their circumstance of being homeless and evicted by the State...that is supposed to protect them? CPS gets involved? Problem is can't find the kids. No address. Always moving. Homeless. Find them at school...no can go, too far, DROP OUT! The cycle begins again.

[Albert]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

Well, the photo that launched this thread may have been surpassed. See the last picture at http://starbulletin.com/2005/03/22/news/wild.html

I've known this man for more than seven years, can't imagine why he has suddenly not only become a "shopping cart person" but a real champion at it.

[68-eldo]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

It’s not often I wander into this neck of the cyber woods, however I found this thread interesting and thought I would put in my two cents.

Its been said that there are probably as many reasons for homelessness as there are homeless people. That would mean there is probably no one solution, it needs a case-by-case approach to the problem. Then there is no guarantee that would do the trick.

One has to wonder if the reason some people are so opposed to the homeless is because they know they themselves are only a couple of paychecks away from being there too and they want the government to put up guard rails to keep them from going over the edge.

You also have to wonder if the City’s meanness to the homeless isn’t a form of “tough love”. If you make it too easy on them then there will be more and more of them. Why should they change? If you make them uncomfortable maybe they will choose to be a member of the productive class.

If I was King of Oahu… Note a King is someone that issues an order and everyone jumps to obey or else. As opposed to the Governor, Mayor et al that submits a plan that all the politicians must get their fingerprints on and it becomes so diluted as to be ineffective or worse.

As I was saying, If I was King of Oahu I would allow the homeless (herein after called “the people”) to live in the parks under the following conditions:

All of the people must register. This is to keep the numbers at any one park to a manageable level. If there are too many some have to move to a different park. But all will be accommodated.

The tent city must be of to one side and look neat from the park and surrounding properties. Homeless have a stigma attached to them and visitors to the park wont walk through the center of a tent city or even along the edges. So the tent city must be out of the way. A woven palm frond fence would also give them privacy and hide the “stuff” the people bring.

The people are responsible for the appearance of the park. They have to pick up all the rubbish and get it to the collection point for the city crews to haul away. If they can mow the lawns and trim the trees all the better, they get extra brownie points for that. Our City crews are working hard and are under staffed so there are a lot of problems at the parks, this will help out.

The people are responsible for the security of the parks. Too many cars get broken into or the restrooms get vandalized and the whole tent city gets evicted. Woe unto the guy that gets caught breaking into a tourist’s car. “I saw it all Officer, this guy broke the window on the car and all these rocks fell off the cliff on the other side of the highway and smashed him, poor bugger.” It would be nice to extend the responsibility of security to the whole neighborhood.

But then that is kind of what is happening now. The residents in the area complain about the break ins and the like so the police evict the homeless from the park.

While I am sure that a lot of people will shoot holes in my idea, I did not see anybody else put forward any kind of plan. If you have a better one lets hear it.

The idea that they should just get off their butt and get a job just doesn’t get it. My idea at least lets them live with some dignity and makes them somewhat useful in maintaining the parks, something the City and State seems to be having a hard time with.

Anyway that’s my two cents worth.

Fire away.

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

We have 2 "Tent Cities" up here that are self-governed by the residents and can be hosted by a church or other organization on their private property for periods up to 3 months at a time, per County ordinances. The residents of the tent cities are actually mostly working people who don't earn enough money to afford a roof over their heads. They are far more responsible than the regular homeless people who live in the street.

The Tent City "government" doesn't allow people with arrest records to be residents, doesn't allow alcohol or drug use and they are very conscious of the fact that a whole community is just waiting for them to screw up to give that community a reason to badmouth them; that's why they police their encampments and when they leave the area, they actually leave the place cleaner than when they first arrived.

They have not turned their backs on the hospitality of their hosts, who, for the most part, have been church groups who have a mission to help the poor and homeless. I think it's been a learning experience for the communities that have housed these Tent Cities because it has shed a different light on people who cannot afford permanent housing.

Not all homeless people are bums, and just because they don't have a permanent address doesn't mean that they are not good people.

Miulang

[Kü´ë]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

So many more i see lately and thay always asking for money or someting. i think the ones in town stay different from da ones who stay on da beach. da ones in town more likely for buy drugs and be dirty li'dat.

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaii's Homeless

Finally a glimmer of hope for the homeless on Oahu: St. Francis Healthcare System might be turning the old First Hawaiian Bank Employees recreation center in Makaha into a homeless shelter. And this one won't look like low-income housing, either. It'll have all kinds of recreational amenities for the residents and keikis and could house up to about 50 people. And it's far enough away from Honolulu that it might help relocate some of the homeless from some of the beaches.

Wonder what the neighbors in Makaha will say about this plan?

Miulang