Thanks to Nancy Cook Lauer over in Hilo for cutting through the smoke and mirrors on the question of counting the homeless.
Did you hear? Hawaii has solved its homeless problem.
The solution was so obvious it’s amazing no one thought of it sooner. Just stop counting them!
That’s right, this year, when the Jan. 22 Point in Time Count rolls around, Hawaii agencies will count only those homeless already in shelters. The vast majority of our unhoused population – those living under storefront awnings, tents, umbrellas and tarps on the sidewalks, under and even in the trees – nah, no need to count ‘em.
And here I thought the purpose of the annual homeless population count was to assess the need for more shelters, more treatment options, more housing even. Well, guess what? No need!
Thank you, Nancy.
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Unconscionable!
I was talking to someone on the mainland yesterday about the homelessness problem here. They don’t know we have any and think the homeless are lucky because the weather is good. Sometimes I just want slap my fellow humans and tell them snap out of it…it could be you someday. Come visit people because it would literally be impossible to sweep this problem under the rug.
Recent CORE figure given to our n’hood board after a resident query, as many as 5 /day homeless are flown here from mainland destinations, some by case managers.
Many look at this as Hawaii’s “open borders” influx that lacks political will to stop.
In this age of individual tracking, there’s no reason this 1-way ticket influx can’t be cut off at its root.
Thank you for sharing, Ian. Given the increase noted in the prior count, perhaps those who made this decision are afraid that there will be another significant increase. In any case, a count of the unsheltered should be done. Nancy does an excellent job of laying out the reasons why.
Mahalo e Ian!
Kalikala has a point. It could be any of us. Most of us are just a few paychecks away from being at risk. While many are exasperated with the inconvenience of stepping around homeless camps or cleaning up debris in front of their businesses, there’s also the issue of compassion.
Ian, I appreciate your sharing this.
🙂
N
I don’t believe the government can prevent anyone, homeless included, from flying here unless they’re on a no-fly list. What we can do is aggressively fund and publicize among the homeless, the availability of help and a one-way return ticket. Some may come back, but others may not.