Honolulu among 'meanest' to homeless:
I know our own Albert can offer a singularly insightful perspective on the plight of the homeless in "paradise," but I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts. The reasons for the numbers living on the street are varied, and it seems everyone has a theory, or an unusual story, or a personal connection...
The cost of housing, and the cost of living, is up there. And for those who may probably never make the transition to personal housing - for any number of varied reasons - the facilities and resources available to those permanently homeless are simply overwhelmed. It seems to me the money we expend chasing people from one park or neighborhood to another (knowing full well they'll be back the next day) could be better spent... and some hard decisions will have to be made, despite the NIMBY outcry that will inevitably come.
And, as has been acknowledged, the visibility of our homeless problem has a direct impact on what is, for better or worse, our primary industry. I cringe when I read online postings or even professional travel reviews that make note of the people sleeping in doorways or dragging ten shopping carts around town.
What's your take?
When it comes to the treatment of homeless people, Honolulu has been named one of the top ten "meanest cities" and the state of Hawaii named the third "meanest state," according to the National Coalition for the Homeless... This year, Honolulu ranked ninth (of 179 communities surveyed)... Honolulu was ranked 19th in 2003 (of 140 surveyed), and one of the 12 "meanest cities" (of 80 surveyed) in 2002.
The cost of housing, and the cost of living, is up there. And for those who may probably never make the transition to personal housing - for any number of varied reasons - the facilities and resources available to those permanently homeless are simply overwhelmed. It seems to me the money we expend chasing people from one park or neighborhood to another (knowing full well they'll be back the next day) could be better spent... and some hard decisions will have to be made, despite the NIMBY outcry that will inevitably come.
And, as has been acknowledged, the visibility of our homeless problem has a direct impact on what is, for better or worse, our primary industry. I cringe when I read online postings or even professional travel reviews that make note of the people sleeping in doorways or dragging ten shopping carts around town.
What's your take?
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