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| James "Kimo" Rosen is a retired professional photographer and amongst other things lived in a tent outdoors for 7 years. Rosen currently resides on the tropical island of kauai with his best friend Obama Da Dog! |
Why there are so many homeless in Hawai'i
Hawaii to our visitors is known as paradise, to many local people it is known as hell.
Many locals and kamaaina transplants will utter "tourists and haole go home," behind their breath. Even caucasians are ironically heard screaming 'Haole go home.'
Hawaii ranks # 1 as a tropical vacation destination. Many tourists that come here, think wow-- this would be a great place to retire and spend the winter of my life.
The wealthy visitors eventually become residents along with many who have inherited a lot of money or those who live of rich parents and trust funds. Hawaii is just not affordable to even the average working class person.
Why so many homeless in Hawaii? Because it's an easier lifestyle for many. Enclosed are many news articles from 'Hawaii News Now' on the out of control homeless situation and how they have taken over Waikiki beach and many other parts of Oahu;
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/category/285127/homeless-in-hawaii
I know many local families that live 2-3 generations to a house along with aunties uncles, cousins and second cousins once removed. It's only affordable since 10 people in the house are working and live a somewhat communal lifestyle amongst family.
There are also those will will rent bedrooms in their home to afford out of sight mortgage payments. I know of one family with 2 kids that rent out 2 rooms in their home, thus giving up family privacy, and they still struggle to make payments.
Many will invest major money in expensive pickup trucks as the way of having a sense of pride in ownership, since most working class people will never be able to afford a piece of real estate in (PARADISE) Drive by many neighborhoods and will see 5 or more vehicles parked on the lawn.
The car dealerships give these workers what they tell them is a great deal. I know a Burger king employee that lives a multi generation home whom thought the dealer was such a nice guy--she got a brand new pickup truck for $1,000 down. Guess what the payments are? $750.00 a month, not including insurance or gas.
People are investing money in vehicles that depreciate since they know real estate is out of a reach. Thus creating another major problem of traffic gridlock with so many new vehicles traveling bumper to bumper.
This mantra of 'PARADISE'has been ongoing for decades and with all the once visitors now wanting to retire it has pushed the price of land to prices that are hard to comprehend.
A fixer upper home in the worst part of Kauai can cost upward of $500,000 on a one bathroom ,2 bedroom home on a small lot. Not to mention no garage or basement. Many places on the mainland would have you living in a mansion with a built in pool and bowling alleys in the basement with acreage for that kind of investment.
Real estate has skyrocketed from the demand from visitors who move here to retire or take on a second or third home.
Working professions have a hard time affording rent, many cannot even get bank loans for homes . Many local students move to the mainland to be able to live a decent lifestyle.
The homeless crisis is partly here because there is a lack of incentives to work. Why work, when every penny you get will go towards slum housing. Why not live outdoors on the beach verses in a run down apartment that takes your whole paycheck to afford.
The only way to ever curb the homeless situation is to make housing affordable, otherwise more people will choose a lifestyle of freedom and living living in the great outdoors amongst the fresh ocean air and stars and visiting their local food bank.
James "Kimo" Rosen is a retired professional photographer and amongst other things lived in a tent outdoors for 7 years.
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| When actor Richard Gere went undercover as a homeless man In New York city this is what happened;"When I went undercover in New York City as a homeless man, no one noticed me. I felt what it was like to be a homeless man. People would just past by me and look at me in disgrace. Only one lady was kind enough to give me some food. It was an experience I'll never forget. So many times we forget how blessed we are. We should not take that for granted. And if we can help someone in need, we should. That's why after I was done, I walked around and gave food and $100 to every homeless person I saw. They cried and were so grateful. Be the change you wish to see in the world."
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30 comments:
Absolutely love it.
If this doesn't hit people where they live, they are emotionally dead!!!
Very deep rooted problem. Many, many things contribute to becoming homeless. #1 is needing a living wage for the area. #2 Jobs, jobs, jobs.... Went to Safeway saw mostly over 65 to 70 working. This is what is coming to young adults working under the table, part time / 2 or 3 jobs. #3 I live in an upper scale neighborhood / 80 to 90% owners here are local / filipino / or pacific islanders....don't use a scapegoat of "white retired" for the problem. The problem is opportunist within locals, purchasing / building on speculation... they overprice waiting for new arrivals to sell to. #4 Many homeless upon arrival come form the pacific east rim....Hawaii just is not a demand location of haole help. This economy should not be the old days thought process of "I'll find something when I arrive...after all its America" ... Hawaii is just so different buyer beware. Educate yourself before you chase that faux dream.
Did you know many cold weather states give their homeless one way airfare to Hawaii, this way they don't have to care for them anymore and guarantees they won't freeze to death living outdoors in the winter...
I remeber in the 70's when growing up we had a huge problem with hippies, same diff but didnt the state buy them one way tickets to rid them off the Island??
i just read an article in yesterday's Star Advertiser that said there is no evidence that any states actually do that. However, individuals do it. One estranged wife gave her husband a 1 way ticket to Hawaii where he ended up being homeless. It was a pitiful story as he had no family or friends to help him. Hawaii social services will not give him a 1 way ticket home until they find social service agencies there who are willing to help him.
Harmony, Yes, exactly, and once they get here, that's where the problems begin with the high cost of living they were not expecting. There are programs though to send homeless people back to where they came from, or at least programs in the works. Check it out;
http://khon2.com/2015/01/18/ihs-mainland-people-looking-to-be-homeless-in-hawaii/
So, where in Hawaii is Richard Gere homeless?
I think that was n NY.
Pete, it was a side bar about homelessness in general...But if it were anywhere in Hawaii it would be Waikiki beach... wink emoticon
Even though the misinformation of sending homeless people to Hawaii is next to totally false, it's almost like listening to the voter fraud misinformation. Just name one truthful article of such happening. Civil Beat / Star Advitiser has written articles and shown the percentages of homeless and how they arrived. If I remember correctly less than 300 are from mainland states and none have been transported here on state money.
I bought a one way ticket to Kauai, Hawaii. Followed a dream, own a million dollar home. I had the knowledge of what to expect. Most arrive to find paradise is closed and only a two week dream. Most mainland people know the facts. It's the local, pacific island cultures that think anything is better than what they currently have. Once here they are STUCK....just watch the news every morning and tell me the head count of the mainland freeloaders. You can't....It's local as it is on the mainland. Its definitely not caused by states sending people on a one way magic carpet ride.
However the word gets out on mainland for the homeless to winter here. I know because I was homeless once and hung out amongst some of them. However the state did have a program to send homeless back to where they came from.
Outstanding, Kimo. I have attended most council meetings for 20 years and have yet to hear any member introduce a Reso or Bill that would help the homeless. Just burry their heads in the sand and the problem will go away---just like it DOESN'T in Honolulu!!!!. It was on the agenda once and some very intelligent homeless people testified---some of their problems heart wrenching.
It is not an easy problem to solve as the homeless must be interviewed on a case by case basis and then have a solution (like a tent city or place for them to stay. Yes, one way fares back to the mainland might work for some but probably for most it is just kicking the can down the road.
Let's face it. If the problem were one that the Mayor wanted solv
ed bad enough it would have a solution and the money would be there to take care of it in a heart beat.
I sound like a broken record but all these unsolved problems are exactly why we need a County Manager System to take the place of the stagnated system we now have. I heard that you support such a system. Kimo, so please let your readers know that you do and hope they take a page from your book and follow suit. All we want the council to do is put it on the ballot and let the people vote it up or down---that certainly cannot be too much to ask if politics are eliminated.
If you want to use this as a comment to your article please do.
Mahalo
Glenn
So, this why everyone uses those laughing, dancing icons to label their commemts as jokes?
sometimes yes, by many times only wishing to express ALOHA! wink emoticon Like dis wink emoticon ;-)
Aloha Glenn,
Thanks!
I was once homeless so I am speaking form experience on this one.
I would love to see a county manager system employed on Kauai. Where I lived many years in Homer Alaska they used that style of governing.
I will say it again, please write something for my readers, you are welcome anytime to guest-blog if you so desire.
Aloha & Mahalo,
Kimo
Great to hear that you support the Manager system and hope you will be one of the vocal ones letting the council know that you feel it is the way to go. Since you used that style of government in Alaska it would make your opinion even better when telling the Council to put it on the ballot.
And, since you were once a homeless person it makes your words have so much more truth to them.
Keep up the fine work.
Glenn
Glenn,
Appreciate the kind words, Mahalos.
Nice open discussion....Just opening the box to hear the noise within. Homelessness - - societies sad reality.
I just read Glenn's comment on "County Manager" I too support but there is a lot of understanding and misinformation on island. This would be a great topic. Glenn please join Kimo and set this topic in motion.... define for local understanding....
Glenn wants me to testify at the council meeting when the issue comes up again. Want to join me when it's time? Also trying to convince Mr. Mickens to guest-blog on dakinetalk blog, the worlds best blog! wink emoticon
Rikster, you also have an open invite should you ever want to guest-blog!
On the news yesterday they were talking about Kakaako and the homeless....and YES many of the homeless are from the mainland on one way tickets and if one would talk to the people who works with the homeless and the social services they would learn the truth...we also have a lot of "hidden homeless" people born and raised here and get married or just grown up and cant go out on their own..they live yet with their parents....We DO HAVE a terrible situation and our system is being drained......
Yvonne, exactly!... and when i was homeless, I hid it while camping in a secluded place and showering daily at the public pool. Many people had no idea. I didn't consider myself homeless... I liked the term houseless. Since i still had a home in the great outdoors on planet kauai. Many people of wealth with beautiful dwellings are homeless in the soul....
Completely untrue. We should hence recognize that a trade program be placed in affect to bring home Hawaiians. Then what does that solve. Bottom line is the lack of opportunity in Hawaii. Non-living wage jobs, lowest wages, high cost of living but great weather. The islanders that left this location to pursue the opportunity of a better life on the mainland just don't want to come back. There is no easy, hopeful dreams just a negative chance to get lucky on any of the islands. As I agree that a very small percentage are from the mainland. Most are from "pacific islanders" where anything is better than back home. The use of the world like "Many" is incorrect and only shows the lack of research and one viewpoint. As for Mr. Rosen to say, "many people of wealth are homeless in soul" is blatantly judgement. If I thought this added any value to the homeless discussion I would state.....As I support the Arts, Food banks, community fund raisers I also see 90% of the "Mainlanders" attending these activities. As we all should be giving when possible. We are all one people. None of the news feeds have ever isolated mainlanders as the problem. It's just another whinny comment derived from the repulsive statement of "haole go home" which has address mainland whites the last 20 years..... We need to address the problems not point fingers full of personal viewpoints.
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Rick NOT TRUE that they dont want to come back....they all would if they could afford to live here.....We will soon be a state of the rich and the very poor.......no in between.........I have ben here all my life........I can see it already......
Yvonne, it's pretty much already that way. The middle class is a thing of the past. Back in my parents generation with one parent working 40 hours , even minimum wage, a house was affordable and there was time for the family, since you didn't need 2-3 jobs just to maintain.
I wrote a short blog back in 2011 about a homeless man in Honolulu who might had possibly saved injuries and even deaths that may had occurred if he hadn't took action. This also appeared in the Staradvertiser... I posted this to show the human side of those we call homeless. http://dakinetalk.blogspot.com/2011/03/homeless-hero.html
Yes Kimo, the human side is very few (IMO) want a hard life on the street. We all can do better to understand and not judge. I could happen to all of us at anytime. One thing I do know is most homeless will give you the shirt of there back, or show you how to get a shirt when you in need the most.
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