Summer Economics/ CS 2006

It’s been estimated that there are approximately 1 billion people around the world who lack adequate housing[1]; this includes those who live in their cars, on friend’s couches, and various other makeshift shelters. When 1/6 of the people on earth are homeless, we as a human race have a problem. The problems roots lie in various aspects of life: drugs, poor economies, an unstable government, and sometimes just plain bad luck. There was no exact point in history when homelessness became a problem. Homelessness has always affected our society in some way since mankind roamed this planet, dating back all the way from when Zog and Gurg couldn’t find a cave to cook their brontosaurus burgers in to our current situation of people sleeping on benches in parks.
In the world’s current state of turmoil, homelessness seems like a trivial problem next to nuclear warfare and terrorist organizations. Governments around the world make minimal attempts to mitigate the spread of homelessness, and put forth the same amount of effort to house the already homeless. Throughout history, stereotypes and prejudice have plagued homeless all over the world. Many people regard homeless with fear and contempt, if they acknowledge the homeless at all. Often times people will consider a homeless person to be lazy, and would assume that the homeless person had not made an effort to seek employment. In many cases this is untrue, homeless have incredibly difficult times finding a job, because of their current condition, employers will often times not employ someone if they are homeless[2].
Wars and natural disasters are also large causes of homelessness globally. In Indonesia thousands of people were killed by the tsunami that struck just a few years ago, and thousands more were left without a home. Even in America, Hurricane Katrina obliterated a good deal of New Orleans and left thousands upon thousands of Americans with no where to live. The damage caused by natural disasters is often times irreparable, and can leave scores of people with literally nothing. Wars are also a great factor in the large global homeless population. War torn countries often have high homeless populations; for example, many countries in Africa are entrenched in civil wars, when a country is at civil war there is no government, or the existing government is too focused on the war to consider the welfare of the citizens. Many villages and homes are destroyed leaving entire towns homeless, if not killed.
We as individuals cannot sway a government to change its policies concerning the homeless, but what we can do is help the homeless in our community, and improve conditions locally.

Continue reading "Global History of homelessness" »

Posted by Shaun Chang at 2:54 AM | Permalink

The History of Global Homelessness (Written by Shaun Chang)

What is the current situation regarding global homelessness? (Written by Myrel Agbayani)

Picture found at: http://www.takingitglobal.org/images/understanding/topics/Homelessness.jpg

Homelessness is found all over the world, and the homeless population
grows continuously every day. According to a 1996 United Nations
report, 500 million people were homeless or residing in low-quality
housing and unsanitary conditions in 1995 (1). In 2005, the rough
estimate of global homelessness was down to 100 million people due to
the difficulty in measuring it. Also, over 1 billion are living in
inadequate housing, which would lead to a huge increase in the homeless
population once the housing is not suitable to live in. It is
difficult to attain the exact number of people in the global homeless population
because there is limited or non-existent data provided for every
country. Also, every country has its own definition of homelessness
and its own approach to service provision. Because of these
differences, it’s much harder to combine or compare data accurately (3).


Global homelessness is caused by the same factors that lead to local
and national homelessness. These factors are poor decision-making,
health problems, mental illness, drug or alcohol addiction, domestic
violence, lack of education and job skills, environmental disasters, or
just bad luck. There is also the usual problem of housing cots and
their availability. Because of this, the number of households in a
single home are increasing rapidly (3). Homelessness is also caused by
breakdowns in traditional family support systems, continued urbanization
and the effects of structural adjustment programs and civil wars (1).
According to the Special Rapporteur on Right to Adequate Housing, “The
driving forces behind homelessness are poverty; rapid economic
globalization, which has worsened inequality in housing and land
ownership; increasing tends towards privatization of public services
and land speculation; lack of affordable housing options; unplanned and
involuntary urban migration; large-scale development and infrastructure
projects, including dams that have lead to mass displacement; and
ongoing conflicts around the world” (4). Due to the lack of nutrition,
homeless children and adults suffer many medical problems. The
children may suffer from chronic and recurring physical ailments,
higher rates of fever and colds. They have a greater incidence of
infections, fatigue, headaches and anemia. For the adults, their
problems include, anemia, gastric ulcers, hypertension, acute and
chronic diseases, diabetes and malnutrition (1).

There are things being done to resolve this problem though.
Organizations such as the Food Research and Action Center, America’s
Second Harvest, the Center on Hunger and Poverty, Bread for the World,
World Hunger Year, and the Food Industry Crusade Against Hunger
coordinate with other food banks and food assistance programs and
encourage policy makers to expand and protect programs aiding the
homeless (1). Also, there is something known as the Homeless World
Cup. 48 countries and 500 homeless people look forward to this event
each year. This year it will be held in Cape Town from September 23rd
to the 30th (5). Due to this event, many are greatly affected. 38%
already have regular employment and 40% have improved their housing
situation. For more percentages, click here: http://www.streetsoccer.org/_pdf/44a28c403e57c.pdf

(1) http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Hea-Irr/Homelessness.html
(2) http://www.takingitglobal.org/understanding/poverty/homeless
(3)
http://www.homebaseccc.org/site_extras/11.18.05Global%20Homelessness.pdf
(4) http://www.hic-net.org/articles.asp?PID=223
(5) http://www.streetsoccer.org/
(6) http://www.streetsoccer.org/_pdf/44a28c403e57c.pdf

What should be done about global homelessness? (Written by Traci Aoki)

According to a United Nations report, currently five hundred million people around the world are either homeless or living in low-quality housing and are in danger of becoming homeless (4). With so many people being affected by this problem, something must be done to fight it. Homelessness is a tremendous problem, and there are many steps that must be taken if it is to ever end.
First, more affordable housing must be built. In many countries, prices of homes are rising rapidly as a result of other problems such as economic inflation and overpopulation. However, obtaining permanent housing is a crucial step for those trying to get their lives back on track and improve their futures. Once they have secured homes for themselves, they can focus on fixing other problems in their lives holding them back. Furthermore, in many developing countries, it can be difficult for homeless individuals to find and maintain a job when they have no phone number or permanent address, not to mention a place in which to change their clothes and bathe. In order to change their lives around, they need to obtain some sort of home. Therefore, governments must grant more funding to the construction of subsidized housing. They can raise money for this by increasing taxes. Now, as mentioned in the national portion, taxpayers may complain about having the pay raised taxes to finance the building of affordable housing. However, in many developed countries, a large portion of taxes is used to pay for services for the homeless and poor such as Medicaid. If these people obtained homes and became stabilized, taxpayers would actually save money. Therefore, paying taxes now to help fund the construction of supportive housing will ultimately benefit them as well. Furthermore, the governments can also decrease military spending and use some of it to fund the housing. War is one of the major causes of homelessness throughout the world, destroying homes and villages, and tearing families apart (1). Moreover, a tremendous amount of natural resources and funding is put into military expansion, something that can only lead to more homelessness. The government should take a portion of these resources and money and put it to better use: funding the construction of more affordable housing. As for undeveloped and developing countries, as much money as possible should be set aside by governments to help pay for more housing for their citizens. Individuals can help by donating money to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, which builds simple, affordable housing all around the globe.
In addition to housing, more money should be used to build transitional and emergency shelters. People living on streets are extremely vulnerable to changes in weather and in some places, can actually freeze to death. For example, in Ireland people die on the streets weekly as a result of a lack of housing and services (5). Homeless people are also often targets of violence and abuse, and would be much safer in shelters, where they are also given food and access to services and programs. Federal grants should be used to help fund existing shelters, as well as the construction of additional ones. The money used for this could come from increased taxes as well as decreased military spending in developed nations. As for undeveloped and developing countries, many of them are ridden with debt to foreign nations and are therefore unable to fund the building of housing and shelters for their homeless citizens. Perhaps developed nations, especially the G-8 nations, could consider canceling these debts and even give countries with serious homeless problems long-term, low-interest-rate loans to help finance the construction.
Next, some cities in developed countries have laws prohibiting such things as “loitering”, “pan-handling”, and “vagrancy”, and allow police to arrest individuals who break these laws (2). In other words, homeless are prohibiting form residing outdoors and from begging. However, by arresting homeless people and giving them criminal records, all police are doing is making it even more difficult for them to secure and maintain jobs. Rather, these laws should be revoked, and instead of putting homeless in prison, police should guide them to shelters where they can receive the attention and assistance they need to get their lives back on track. Police, shelters, and service providers should all work together to help homeless populations as best as possible.
Another important step in the fight against homelessness is understanding. In order to get to the “root of the problem” and find the best solutions, the government must grant additional funding for research and data collection on this issue. Doing so will also allow organizations to better meet the needs of the homeless population and tell service providers if they need to update certain services. Besides this, data collection can give organizations a better idea of the main factors that lead to homelessness and how to prevent the problem.
One of the factors leading to homelessness is the inability to afford both food and shelter. When faced with a choice between the two, people will usually choose food, considering shelter the lower priority (4). More money needs to be given to food banks and shelters so that homeless and potentially homeless will be provided with adequate meals. If they no longer have to worry about scrounging up enough money to pay for their next meals, they no longer have to make a choice between food and shelter, and can focus all of their efforts on securing and maintaining housing. However, besides relieving homeless individuals from having to make a choice between food and shelter, extra funding for shelters and food banks is needed because having a good diet is extremely important. According to the Institute of Medicine, there are about 100,000 children homeless in the U.S. every night (4). There are millions more around the world. Many of these children rely on shelters and food banks for most of their food. Unfortunately, these meals are often very limited in nutritional value and are usually “high in salt, fat, preservatives, and empty calories” (4). Moreover, according to studies, a poor diet during childhood often causes long-term health and cognitive problems, which can compromise the children’s ability to find and maintain employment in the future. Therefore, shelters and food banks need additional funding so they can provide the homeless with better quality food. They can get this money from either private donations from individuals and organizations, or from the government.
In addition to food and housing assistance, other services for the homeless and the potentially homeless are essential in helping them. However, the services needed by homeless populations vary in different areas, as the conditions being experienced by them are also different. For example, in the U.S. and other developed countries where some of the main causes of homelessness are domestic violence, mental illness, and addiction disorders, needed services include counseling, mental health facilities, and substance abuse programs. For these services, governments should increase taxes to help fund them, as they are crucial in helping people re-build their lives. Furthermore, as I mentioned before, taxpayers will ultimately save money by helping to fund these services now. In sub-Saharan Africa however, there are currently twenty five million orphaned children, twelve million of which were orphaned because of the AIDS epidemic (3). In addition to these kids, many millions more have parents who are ill and are unable to work, leaving the children the responsibility of providing for the entire family. As a result, kids have to drop out of school to get jobs and care for their sick parents (3). This is wrong; children should not be giving up education to watch over their parents. African countries should provide the needy families with services such as free education, access to free health care, food, and water. Kenya has tried out an idea in which cash grants were given directly to children most in need of the extra assistance. In this “project” five hundred households are given about $6.50 per “vulnerable or orphaned child” each month. While that amount may seem extremely small to us, it had a tremendous impact on those receiving the payments. Families had “better access to education and health care and improved nutrition” (3). Their standards of living rose from being given just that small amount of money. The other sub-Saharan African countries should follow Kenya in enacting this plan. However, funding for all of these services will be difficult to obtain. Hopefully private donations from individuals and organizations will be given to help pay for them. The governments of the countries themselves should create larger budgets to address these problems as well. Finally, as previously mentioned, wealthy developed countries should relieve these poorer nations of their past debts. This will allow the governments more money to spend on these services.
Finally, in order to solve worldwide homelessness, the homeless problem must first be tackled on a local and national level. How can we solve global homelessness when we currently have three million homeless individuals in our own country? Sure, we can help undeveloped and developing nations by lending and donating money to help them out. However, if homelessness is ever to end, each country must take responsibility for their own citizens and take adequate action to improve their living situations. Only once a country has eradicated its own homeless problem can it fully focus on helping others.

1) http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_n3/v25/ai_6811552
2) http://www.nscahh.org/hunger.asp?id2=8800
3) http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4631911.stm
4) http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Hea-Irr/Homelessness.html
5) http://www.focusireland.ie/htm/housing_homelessness/facts_figures/causes.htm

Realistically, what can be done about the issue of global homelessness? (Written by Tierney Morikawa)

"On paper, [adequate housing for all] is...one of humanity's priorities. 'Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health & well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing & medical care, and necessary social services ...'

These words, from Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, were written 50 years ago. Yet, as we approach the end of the 20th century, at least one out of five members of the human family doesn't 'have a proper home to live in."
(From the September 1998 issue of Share International) (1)

What are the "powers at be" not doing?

When we look at global homelessness, we see that there is a lot more that should be done to combat the issue. However, part of the problem lies in the fact that the global homeless population is substantially large. In fact, the poverty level is so high in some third-world countries that the majority of the population could be considered homeless (on “American” standards). Many countries do not have the government infrastructure and money to aid their own citizens, and many that do have the resources are faced with other social and economic problems (in addition to the issue of homelessness) that also require government funds. Just like the U.S. government, these governments also have to make decisions as to where the money should go, and many governments place homelessness and international aid low on their priority list. The United States government, above all, spends a tremendous amount of money every year on its military. The U.S. Federal Budget for the 2006 fiscal year appropriated $410.8 billion to the “Defense-Military”, where as the “Housing & Urban Development” and “State & Other International Programs” funds were only granted $34.1 billion and $30.2 billion respectively (2). Yet war, itself, is a major cause of homelessness, driving innocent women, children, and families from their homes each year (3). Therefore, we are, in effect, spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a war that is exacerbating the problem of homelessness and causing thousands of innocent people to become refugees. In actuality, are we not creating more problems in our world?

Picture found at: http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20040504_73.jpg

Moreover, through warfare we create homeless problems internationally, but we and other wealthy nations fail to provide sufficient monetary aid to other countries in need of assistance. A report written by Anup Shah entitled The U.S. and Foreign Aid Assistance states that “there was an EU pledge to spend 0.56% of GNI on poverty reduction by 2010, and 0.7% by 2015. However, the donor governments promised to spend 0.7% of GNI on ODA (Official Development Assistance) at the UN General Assembly in 1970—some 35 years ago as of writing. The deadline for reaching that target was the mid-1970s.” Shah further states that “almost all rich nations fail this obligation.” He says, “Even though these targets and agendas have been set, year after year almost all rich nations have constantly failed to reach their agreed obligations of the 0.7% target. Instead of 0.7%, the amount of aid has been around 0.2 to 0.4%, some $100 billion short.” One can see from the charts (below) for 2005 that the U.S.’s dollar amount spent on ODA is significantly higher than all other countries. However, looking at the percentages of GNI, we see that the U.S.’s grant is lower than every other country’s but Portugal’s, and far lower than the UN target of 0.7% (4).

Click on the thumbnail below to see the enlarged graphs of the Official Development Assistance Numbers and Percentages in 2005:

Charts found at: http://www.globalissues.org/i/aid/netoda2005.png

(To view the full report entitled The U.S. and Foreign Aid Assistance click here:http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp)

Therefore, perhaps our nation (and other nations with high military budgets) should be spending less money on war and more money on homelessness programs and international Official Development Assistance. Who knows? Maybe our international relations would improve, if we were dropping monetary grants on our neighbors’ soil rather than explosive weapons. Maybe we wouldn’t “need” such a large military budget, if we cared enough to reach out to people in need on a global scale.

What impact could you have to change the current situation?

- You can give monetary donations or volunteer some of your time to the American Red Cross (year-round or during emergencies). You can also join their mailing list to receive monthly news, tips, and disaster updates. Visit http://www.redcross.org/ for more information. (*Note: The Red Cross consists of several chapters and operates worldwide.)

- If you are handy with a hammer and saw, (or are willing to learn how to become handy with a hammer and saw), you might consider building houses for the poor and homeless with Habitat for Humanity. This organization operates on the local, national, and global levels. To find more information about this organization visit http://www.habitat.org

- If you are a compassionate, dedicated person who is willing to devote himself/herself to fighting international poverty and homelessness for an extended period of time, you might consider joining the Peace Corps (http://www.peacecorps.gov/).

- If you are eighteen years of age or older, you can also have an impact politically. Let your voice be heard through your vote. If you care about stopping the spread of homelessness, vote for candidates who have homelessness and international aid as high priorities on their agendas.

For more information on homeless relief organizations or on how you can help to end global homelessness, visit one or more of the following websites below:

http://www.bread.org/learn/links.html

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whatyoucando/act_now/fast/sponsors

http://www.homeless.org/sp/Homeless+Resources

http://www.homeless.org.au/directory/

What might the future global homelessness problem look like if conditions continue in their present state indefinitely?

While we might never be able to eliminate homelessness completely, we do have the power to taper the problem. If our world population continues to grow at its rapid rate and we do not address the issue of homelessness, our problems will only worsen. As a student Homeless Resource Guide stated, “Another cause of national and international homelessness is that of overpopulation. The earth might seem large and unlimited, but the natural resources needed to sustain human life are finite. This problem becomes clear when there are too many people living in one place… If you were to visit Calcutta, India’s capital city, you would see millions of thin, sickly people who sleep in the streets and beg for food” (2). As cities grow, so does the problem of homelessness. A country can undergo development; but if it does not have a firm foundation to support its poorer citizens, the country can only progress so far. Moreover, as a country develops, property values increase, and it becomes increasingly difficult for people to obtain affordable housing. Therefore, the housing issues must be addressed now before countries attempt further development.
Executive Coordinator of Habitat in Nairobi, Kenya, Daniel Biau, says, “International agencies have not yet understood that the 21st century will be the century of cities. Poverty and homelessness will more and more be concentrated there, and the international community has to do more to help developing countries” (1). If we do not address the international homelessness problem now, we are failing as human citizens. We have a responsibility to take care of one another. Richer individuals and nations have the responsibility to aid poorer ones. This is our opportunity to express compassion on a local, national and global level. This is our opportunity to prove that adequate housing for all is one of humanity’s top priorities.

Sources:

(1) http://www.shareintl.org/archives/homelessness/hl-mlaroof.htm

(2) http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2007/pdf/07msr.pdf

(3) http://www.state.ia.us/educate/ecese/is/homeless/middle/lesson6_middle.html

(4) http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp

Posted by Tierney Morikawa at 3:52 PM | Permalink

According to a United Nations report, currently five hundred million people around the world are either homeless or living in low-quality housing and are in danger of becoming homeless (4). With so many people being affected by this problem, something must be done to fight it. Homelessness is a tremendous problem, and there are many steps that must be taken if it is to ever end.
First, more affordable housing must be built. In many countries, prices of homes are rising rapidly as a result of other problems such as economic inflation and overpopulation. However, obtaining permanent housing is a crucial step for those trying to get their lives back on track and improve their futures. Once they have secured homes for themselves, they can focus on fixing other problems in their lives holding them back. Furthermore, in many developing countries, it can be difficult for homeless individuals to find and maintain a job when they have no phone number or permanent address, not to mention a place in which to change their clothes and bathe. In order to change their lives around, they need to obtain some sort of home. Therefore, governments must grant more funding to the construction of subsidized housing. They can raise money for this by increasing taxes. Now, as mentioned in the national portion, taxpayers may complain about having the pay raised taxes to finance the building of affordable housing. However, in many developed countries, a large portion of taxes is used to pay for services for the homeless and poor such as Medicaid. If these people obtained homes and became stabilized, taxpayers would actually save money. Therefore, paying taxes now to help fund the construction of supportive housing will ultimately benefit them as well. Furthermore, the governments can also decrease military spending and use some of it to fund the housing. War is one of the major causes of homelessness throughout the world, destroying homes and villages, and tearing families apart (1). Moreover, a tremendous amount of natural resources and funding is put into military expansion, something that can only lead to more homelessness. The government should take a portion of these resources and money and put it to better use: funding the construction of more affordable housing. As for undeveloped and developing countries, as much money as possible should be set aside by governments to help pay for more housing for their citizens. Individuals can help by donating money to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, which builds simple, affordable housing all around the globe.
In addition to housing, more money should be used to build transitional and emergency shelters. People living on streets are extremely vulnerable to changes in weather and in some places, can actually freeze to death. For example, in Ireland people die on the streets weekly as a result of a lack of housing and services (5). Homeless people are also often targets of violence and abuse, and would be much safer in shelters, where they are also given food and access to services and programs. Federal grants should be used to help fund existing shelters, as well as the construction of additional ones. The money used for this could come from increased taxes as well as decreased military spending in developed nations. As for undeveloped and developing countries, many of them are ridden with debt to foreign nations and are therefore unable to fund the building of housing and shelters for their homeless citizens. Perhaps developed nations, especially the G-8 nations, could consider canceling these debts and even give countries with serious homeless problems long-term, low-interest-rate loans to help finance the construction.
Next, some cities in developed countries have laws prohibiting such things as “loitering”, “pan-handling”, and “vagrancy”, and allow police to arrest individuals who break these laws (2). In other words, homeless are prohibiting form residing outdoors and from begging. However, by arresting homeless people and giving them criminal records, all police are doing is making it even more difficult for them to secure and maintain jobs. Rather, these laws should be revoked, and instead of putting homeless in prison, police should guide them to shelters where they can receive the attention and assistance they need to get their lives back on track. Police, shelters, and service providers should all work together to help homeless populations as best as possible.
Another important step in the fight against homelessness is understanding. In order to get to the “root of the problem” and find the best solutions, the government must grant additional funding for research and data collection on this issue. Doing so will also allow organizations to better meet the needs of the homeless population and tell service providers if they need to update certain services. Besides this, data collection can give organizations a better idea of the main factors that lead to homelessness and how to prevent the problem.
One of the factors leading to homelessness is the inability to afford both food and shelter. When faced with a choice between the two, people will usually choose food, considering shelter the lower priority (4). More money needs to be given to food banks and shelters so that homeless and potentially homeless will be provided with adequate meals. If they no longer have to worry about scrounging up enough money to pay for their next meals, they no longer have to make a choice between food and shelter, and can focus all of their efforts on securing and maintaining housing. However, besides relieving homeless individuals from having to make a choice between food and shelter, extra funding for shelters and food banks is needed because having a good diet is extremely important. According to the Institute of Medicine, there are about 100,000 children homeless in the U.S. every night (4). There are millions more around the world. Many of these children rely on shelters and food banks for most of their food. Unfortunately, these meals are often very limited in nutritional value and are usually “high in salt, fat, preservatives, and empty calories” (4). Moreover, according to studies, a poor diet during childhood often causes long-term health and cognitive problems, which can compromise the children’s ability to find and maintain employment in the future. Therefore, shelters and food banks need additional funding so they can provide the homeless with better quality food. They can get this money from either private donations from individuals and organizations, or from the government.
In addition to food and housing assistance, other services for the homeless and the potentially homeless are essential in helping them. However, the services needed by homeless populations vary in different areas, as the conditions being experienced by them are also different. For example, in the U.S. and other developed countries where some of the main causes of homelessness are domestic violence, mental illness, and addiction disorders, needed services include counseling, mental health facilities, and substance abuse programs. For these services, governments should increase taxes to help fund them, as they are crucial in helping people re-build their lives. Furthermore, as I mentioned before, taxpayers will ultimately save money by helping to fund these services now. In sub-Saharan Africa however, there are currently twenty five million orphaned children, twelve million of which were orphaned because of the AIDS epidemic (3). In addition to these kids, many millions more have parents who are ill and are unable to work, leaving the children the responsibility of providing for the entire family. As a result, kids have to drop out of school to get jobs and care for their sick parents (3). This is wrong; children should not be giving up education to watch over their parents. African countries should provide the needy families with services such as free education, access to free health care, food, and water. Kenya has tried out an idea in which cash grants were given directly to children most in need of the extra assistance. In this “project” five hundred households are given about $6.50 per “vulnerable or orphaned child” each month. While that amount may seem extremely small to us, it had a tremendous impact on those receiving the payments. Families had “better access to education and health care and improved nutrition” (3). Their standards of living rose from being given just that small amount of money. The other sub-Saharan African countries should follow Kenya in enacting this plan. However, funding for all of these services will be difficult to obtain. Hopefully private donations from individuals and organizations will be given to help pay for them. The governments of the countries themselves should create larger budgets to address these problems as well. Finally, as previously mentioned, wealthy developed countries should relieve these poorer nations of their past debts. This will allow the governments more money to spend on these services.
Finally, in order to solve worldwide homelessness, the homeless problem must first be tackled on a local and national level. How can we solve global homelessness when we currently have three million homeless individuals in our own country? Sure, we can help undeveloped and developing nations by lending and donating money to help them out. However, if homelessness is ever to end, each country must take responsibility for their own citizens and take adequate action to improve their living situations. Only once a country has eradicated its own homeless problem can it fully focus on helping others.

1) http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_n3/v25/ai_6811552
2) http://www.nscahh.org/hunger.asp?id2=8800
3) http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4631911.stm
4) http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Hea-Irr/Homelessness.html
5) http://www.focusireland.ie/htm/housing_homelessness/facts_figures/causes.htm

Posted by Traci Aoki at 1:38 AM | Permalink

Picture found at: http://www.takingitglobal.org/images/understanding/topics/Homelessness.jpg

Homelessness is found all over the world, and the homeless population grows continuously every day. According to a 1996 United Nations report, 500 million people were homeless or residing in low-quality housing and unsanitary conditions in 1995. (1) In 2005, the rough estimate of global homelessness was down to 100 million people due to the difficulty in measuring it. Also, over 1 billion are living in inadequate housing, which would lead to a huge increase in the homeless population once the housing is not suitable to live in. It is difficult to attain the correct amount of the homeless population because there is a limited or non-existent data provided for every country. Also, every country has their own definition on homelessness and their own approach to service provision, so through the differences, it’s much harder to combine or compare data accurately. (3)

Global homelessness is caused by the same factors that lead to local and national homelessness. These factors are poor decision-making, health problems, mental illness, drug or alcohol addiction, domestic violence, lack of education and job skills, environmental disasters, or just bad luck. There is also the usual problem of housing cots and their availability. Because of this, the number of households in a single home are increasing rapidly. (3) Other factors are caused by a breakdown in traditional family support systems, continued urbanization and the effects of structural adjustment programs and civil wars. (1) According to the Special Rapporteur on Right to Adequate Housing, “The driving forces behind homelessness are poverty; rapid economic globalization, which has worsened inequality in housing and land ownership; increasing tends towards privatization of public services and land speculation; lack of affordable housing options; unplanned and involuntary urban migration; large-scale development and infrastructure projects, including dams that have lead to mass displacement; and ongoing conflicts around the world”. (4) Due to the lack of nutrition, homeless children and adults suffer many medical problems. The children may suffer from chronic and recurring physical ailments, higher rates of fever and colds. They have a greater incidence of infections, fatigue, headaches and anemia. For the adults, their problems include, anemia, gastric ulcers, hypertension, acute and chronic diseases, diabetes and malnutrition. (1)

There are things being done to resolve this problem though. Organizations such as the Food Research and Action Center, America’s Second Harvest, the Center on Hunger and Poverty, Bread for the World, World Hunger Year, and the Food Industry Crusade Against Hunger coordinate with other food banks and food assistance programs and encourage policy makers to expand and protect programs aiding the homeless. (1) Also, there is something known as the Homeless World Cup. 48 countries and 500 homeless people look forward to this event each year. This year it will be held in Cape Town from September 23rd to the 30th. (5) Due to this event, many are greatly affected. 38% already have regular employment and 40% have improved their housing situation. For more percentages, click here. (6)

Continue reading "Global Current Situation" »

Posted by Myrel Agbayani at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, about three million people in the U.S. experience homelessness each year (1). In order to fight this problem and finally bring an end to it, a number of steps must be taken.
First, we need to prevent homelessness before it happens. It seems as though the number of homeless individuals never goes down since as soon as people leave the homeless system, others enter and replace them. Mainstream programs need to place more emphasis on preventing people from losing their homes; only they have resources necessary to address housing, income, and service needs of the homeless and the potentially homeless. Such programs include Medicaid, Job Training for Disadvantaged Adults, Social Services, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) (1). Unfortunately, mainstream systems are in excessively high demand and are under-funded in comparison to their expected duties. The government must give more grants to them in order to prevent people from falling into homelessness. In addition, people at “immediate risk of homelessness” should be allowed access to the same services as actual homeless individuals. These people include those living in doubled up arrangements or motels, and people exiting metal health facilities, prisons, or addiction treatment programs. If this were allowed, these people would be eligible for services through HUD Kinney-Vento, an act designed to assist the homeless. As a result, they would have a smaller chance of actually becoming homeless (2).
Another important step in ending homelessness is moving homeless individuals into permanent housing as soon as possible. In order to do this, most homeless require assistance. Programs helping people get back into housing need to do more than just assist them in finding and securing permanent homes. They also need to allow them continued access to services such as credit counseling for at least a year after they get a home and should conduct follow-up visits to check up on them and prevent problems that could lead to eviction and cause them to become homeless once again. Obtaining permanent housing is a crucial step for those trying to get their lives back on track and improve their futures. Increased funding should be used to build more permanent housing, either from HUD McKinney-Vento funds, or through taxes (3).
Next, although in an ideal situation homeless individuals would be placed almost immediately into permanent housing, this is not a possibility. As a result, more funding is needed for Transitional and Supportive Housing. Transitional housing provides homeless with a temporary place to stay until they can find permanent housing. These shelters are especially necessary in areas where vacant permanent houses are scarce. Transition housing also gives shelter to people who are unable to make the “transition” to permanent homes quite yet as a result of problems such as mental illnesses or substance abuse. Furthermore, residents of transitional housing have access to services provided by the shelter with the intention of eventually getting them into permanent housing. These services include job training, education, and employment counseling. More federal grants need to be given to transitional housing to fund the services, as they are extremely important in training homeless individuals in skills they need to find and maintain employment (4)
Now, while many homeless individuals can benefit greatly from transitional shelters, others require more assistance. Supportive housing can help to provide this. Currently, it is estimated that there are 150,000 chronically homeless individuals in the U.S. These are people who live in the shelter system, and are unlikely to ever earn a significant amount of money because of disabilities they possess. Yet, studies show that permanent supportive housing, housing with the appropriate services, can help them immensely in getting their lives back together and improving their futures (5). Therefore, we must create enough supportive housing for this group. This is extremely important, as about fifty percent of homeless adults have alcohol problems, thirty three percent have drug addictions, and between twenty and twenty five percent have major mental illnesses (3). These people need help that supportive housing can provide. To end the homelessness of the chronically homeless population, about 150,000 units of permanent supportive housing has to be built. However, in order for the creation of this additional housing to occur, organizations would need to acquire an increased number of service providers and funds. As with regular permanent housing, money for additional permanent supportive housing could come from HUD McKinney-Vento funds, or from taxes. Now, taxpayers may complain about having to pay increased taxes to finance the construction of permanent supportive housing. However, if they look at the amount of money they could save in the future on such things as homeless services and Medicaid if these people become stabilized, they will realize that this plan could be beneficial to them as well.
Next, in order to discover the services most needed by the homeless population and find the best solutions, extensive research and data collection must be conducted. Information such as who is homeless, why and how they became homeless, and what mainstream assistance they receive must be gathered on a "city- or state-wide basis" (1). This allows "trends" to be discovered and can help to identify the main factors that lead to homelessness. It also tells service providers if they need to update certain services such as rent assistance and child-care programs to meet current needs. Furthermore, the data collected helps answer important questions such as "What assistance is most effective in facilitating the re-housing of homeless people?" and "What mainstream services do families need after they are housed so they don't become homeless again?" (1). Research and data collection is essential in the fight to end homelessness.
One of the major problems preventing people from owning homes is the current scarcity of affordable houses accompanied by low wages. The supply of homes is unable to keep up with the demand and unfortunately, the shortage is increasing. Moreover, the number of households in need of housing support has increased as the cost of homes has also increased and wages have decreased. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, "there is no community in the nation in which a person working a minimum wage job can afford to rent a one-bedroom unit" (1). Yes, America is currently experiencing a strong economy. However, people with lower incomes are not benefiting nearly as much as those of higher incomes. Furthermore, what they do gain from America's economic growth is unable to keep up with the rising housing costs (4). Therefore, the government should increase the amount of affordable housing available to low-income individuals, as well as the grants given to housing programs.
To help the homeless get their lives back on track and get back into homes, the communities throughout the U.S. must work together. In some cities, it is against the law to reside or loiter on public property and people are prohibited from begging. Basically, it is illegal to be homeless. However, this does nothing to solve the problem. By arresting homeless individuals, all police are doing is giving them a criminal record (or adding to them) and thus making it even more difficult for them to secure jobs. Without employment, the people will never be able to afford housing and get out of the homeless system. Instead of arresting homeless people, police should help them by directing them or taking them to shelters where they can also receive food and services.
Finally, more funding needs to be granted to organizations providing services to homeless and low-income populations. As mentioned earlier, these services are essential in helping them to get their lives back together and improving their futures. Such services include job training so they can earn a living, substance abuse programs, and courses in money management. According to studies, only fifty percent of people who need substance abuse treatment receive it. These services are extremely important, and are crucial if an end to homelessness is ever hoped to be achieved. Therefore, the government must provide adequate funding for them so that they can help the homeless population as best as they can.
Individuals can help by donating money to organizations helping the homeless such as Beyond Shelter or Help USA. As I mentioned earlier, services essential to homeless individuals such as job training and rent assistance are highly under funded and any donations to them would be welcome. Extra money for the construction of affordable low-income housing is also needed. According to research, the types of assistance homeless adults felt they needed most were help in finding affordable housing, securing jobs, and paying for housing. Yet, most of the assistance they received were clothing, transportation, and help with public benefits. In fact, only about seven percent of homeless adults had help in finding homes (1). Now, donating items such as clothes and new toothbrushes to homeless shelters is still helpful to them and needed. However, what homeless service organizations need most and are not getting enough of is funding. Therefore, if you really want to help out in the fight against homelessness, donate money to increase the amount of services and affordable housing available to homeless individuals.

Beyond Shelter website: http://www.beyondshelter.org/home.html
Help USA website: http://www.helpusa.org/site/PageServer

Sources:
1) http://www.endhomelessness.org
2) http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/rulesandregs/laws/
3) http://www.hud.gov/homeless
4) http://www.nlihc.org
5) http://www.nationalhomeless.org/housing

Posted by Traci Aoki at 11:35 AM | Permalink

What can be done about homelessness?

Realistically, what can be done about homelessness on a national level? This question has been posed time and time again with many proposed solutions. Unfortunately in our day and age there are more pressing subjects and matters to attend to, but here’s a list of small solutions that I’ve come up with.

1) We, as a nation need to start getting the homeless off the street and into shelters or homes.

2) The government should offer a stipend to the homeless community to help “get them back on their feet”

3) Many homeless are unable to get jobs simply because employers are uncomfortable with the concept of a homeless employee. An act could be passed that created equality for the homeless in job situations, or a union could be created that did something similar.

4) A good deal of the homeless community have addictions to either illicit substances or alcohol. Rehabilitation centers could be developed all over the nation along with the one’s we already have to help the homeless break these old habits.

5) A mere $1.7 billion a year is spent on solving homelessness[1], this may sound like a lot, but in comparison to the $450+ billion spent on the military alone, the budget for homelessness in trivial. If we were to divert 0.01% of the military budget to help combat homelessness, that alone would double the funds.

6) With inevitable growth in GDP, we face gradually rising inflation, which means higher prices. The government could start a program that lowers the taxes homeless have to pay, similar to welfare, or other forms of government financial aid.

What are the “powers at be” not doing?

The government is not paying enough attention to domestic problems we have. Our politicians are too focused on “the war abroad” that they are unable to attend to problems like homelessness. Even when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans our government did not intervene until much later in the crisis, and efforts made to prevent the disaster were apparently minimal[2]. If our government cannot make the proper efforts to prevent something as cataclysmic as the flooding of an entire state, how are we to expect the government to make efforts toward solving homelessness?

What impact could we have to change the current situation?

Sadly none of us could do much more for the national homeless community than raise a couple thousand dollars for donation. Though it is indeed the thought that counts, $5,000 thrown at the national homeless problem does little more than a scratch. Our abilities to solve homelessness in Hawaii are much stronger. We could donate food, money, old clothes, backpacks and all kinds of useful items to local homeless shelters. We could also volunteer to erect new shelters that could house even more homeless. Another thing we could do is raise awareness to local businesses that the homeless are people too, and deserve to be employed as well. All of the efforts I’ve proposed could be done on a national level, but would have a much smaller impact. It would be more helpful if all of our efforts were focused on solving homelessness in Hawaii first, then we can play Bono and save the rest of the nation. For more information on what you can do to help homelessness in Hawaii read Tierney’s article on what can be done on a local level.

What does the future situation look like?

If the nation continues down the path its going, homelessness will be in the exact same place it’s at right now in 5 years, or even 10 years. However, if our government has an epiphany and decides to stop our wars abroad, this would free up a lot of government funds and allow some of it to be spent on domestic problems like homelessness. If our nation were to travel down this path, I can foresee bright skies in the future of our nations homeless.

Continue reading "What can be done about homelessness Nationally?" »

Posted by Shaun Chang at 9:17 AM | Permalink

Picture found at: http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/images/homeless_alley.jpg

Homelessness has increased in the past years and there are many factors economically, politically, socially and medically, that cause it to occur. Under the economic factors, there is the issue of a lack of affordable housing. The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness stated, "According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, families across the country would need to earn a 'housing wage' of $15.37 an hour, nearly three times the current minimum wage to afford a two-bedroom apartment at the average fair market rent. West Virginia has the least expensive rental state, but the wage of $8.78 an hour would be needed just to afford a two-bedroom apartment." Everyone in America is facing this housing problem. There are also the issues of low incomes and lack of affordable medical care that falls underneath the economic factors. The current minimum wage nationally is 27% less than it was in 1968, making it harder to live a standard life. For health care, a family could spend up to $8000 a year. These issues lead to the question of, what should be sacrificed, food, health care or housing?
Politically, there is a lack of government intervention. There are cuts in federal assistance for housing programs and social services and that is definitely not needed. The campaign also said, "Without a safety net to help, many of the lowest income people must choose between things like food, medical care, and housing to make ends meet." There has been many requests from the homeless for more emergency shelters.(3) There is a very high lack of awareness of programs. Nationally, only 19% of respondents taking a survey created by the Los Angeles Mission could name an agency or program that provides rehabilitation or job training for the homeless. At least 56% of the respondents were able to recognize food and/or shelter for the homeless. (2)
Due to mental illness, drug addiction, and alcoholism, poverty is a possibility and people are at a greater risk of becoming homeless. 25% of the homeless population suffer from some form of mental illness and because of the high cost of health insurance, homeless people have no access to proper care to treat their mental illness. Also, 20% of the homeless population have a drug and/or alcohol addiction, but without affordable medical care, there's no way to help them with their addictions. (3)

- In the U.S., more than 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year.
- 35% of the homeless population are families with children, which is the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.
- 25% are U.S. military veterans.
- 25% are children under the age of 18 years.
- 30% have experienced domestic violence
- 20-25% suffer from mental illness
- In urban communities, people experience homelessness for an average of eight months.
- 22% are employed
- On average, people remain homeless for 6 months. (4)

(compiled by the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness)

More fact sheets on some states can be found here. (5)

Twenty-four cities (Boston, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Providence, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Seattle, St. Paul and Trenton) took a "Hunger and Homelessness Survey" and compiled a list of their combined homelessness percentages.

- Requests for emergency shelter increased by an average of 6% with 71% of the cities registering an increase. Requests for shelter by homeless families alone increased by 5% with 63% of the cities reporting an increase.
- An average of 14% of the requests for emergency shelter by homeless people overall and 32% of the requests by homeless families alone are estimated to have gone unmet during the last year.
- In 88% of the cities, emergency shelters may have to turn away homeless families due to lack of resources; 79% may also have to turn away other homeless people
- People remain homeless an average of seven months and 87% of the cities stated that the length of time people were homeless increased during the last year
- 22% of homeless people in the cities are considered mentally ill; 30% are substance abusers; 15% are substance abusers; 15% are employed; 11% are veterans
- In 57% of the cities, families may have to break up in order to be sheltered. In 48% of the cities families may have to spend their daytime hours outside of the shelter they use at night.
- Requests for assisted housing by low-income families and individuals increased in 86% of the cities in the past year. (1)

Continue reading "Current Situation in America" »

Posted by Myrel Agbayani at 10:03 PM | Permalink

The History of Homelessness in America (Written by Tierney Morikawa)

Background Information

Picture found at: http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/advocacy/advocacy.asp?id2=15797

Homelessness has existed in America for centuries, but it was not recognized as a national problem until just two decades ago. The truth is that homelessness became a national issue in the 1980’s because of the tremendous impact of the 1973 recession that led to an increase in unemployment and underemployment throughout the country. Approximately 40 million people lost their jobs, and new employment opportunities that arose after the recession did not offer employees financial stability. Many people, unable to pay their bills, became homeless, and others who were homeless prior to the recession only suffered more during times of reconstruction (1). Furthermore, as the National Alliance to End Homelessness stated, “mainstream social programs such as welfare, health care, subsidized housing, and substance abuse treatment—programs that provide long-term income and services support—started shifting responsibility for very poor people to this small and under-funded homeless assistance system. This left homeless assistance programs overburdened and unable to address prevention or move the masses of newly homeless people back into housing.” Therefore, the number of homeless Americans continued to rise, and has increased by about 100% in the last decade (2).

Researchers have had a difficult time calculating the exact number of homeless citizens each year, but they estimate that in the 1990s, there were about 700,000 homeless citizens each night and up to 2 million each year. In the last few years, that number has escalated even more. Today, as many as 3.5 million Americans (11% of the poor population) are homeless each year (3).

How has the federal government impacted homelessness in America?

In the mid 1980’s the federal government began to receive pressure from groups of people across the nation that wanted to see effective remedies for the homelessness problem. Thus, in order to deal with the issues at hand, Congress passed the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, the first major piece of legislation to deal with homelessness. The act includes fifteen programs and works with over 3,700 agencies to deal with homelessness issues ranging from adequate work benefits and payment, to accessible health care, to emergency shelter and housing (4). However, despite the positive efforts made by the federal government to remedy the homelessness issue, the law has, unfortunately, had a negative impact on the homeless, as well. Many people refer to the negative impact of the law as the criminalization of America’s homeless.
A fact sheet on homelessness published by the National Alliance to End Homelessness states that “most people who experience homelessness (80%) are homeless for a short period of time, and usually need help finding housing or a rent subsidy.” Nevertheless, according to the organization’s research, a “portion of the homeless population (20%) is homeless for long periods of time or cycle in and out of homelessness” (5). This cycle that causes long-term homelessness is often caused by significant barriers to exit. Because many cities across the nation have established anti-lodging and anti-panhandling laws in order to discourage solicitation and loitering, numerous homeless have been jailed for breaking these laws. As a result, many of America’s homeless have criminal records. Therefore, when homeless go to seek employment or government assistance, officials see the blemishes on their records and automatically turn them away (6).

Less than a mile from the nation's capital, American citizens have made the street their home.
(Picture found at: http://www.icresource.com/WGNS/PHOTO/images/HomelessManonGrate-288.jpg)

Causes of Homelessness

Homelessness in America is primarily caused by one or more of the following:

(a) A lack of affordable housing
(b) A shortage in work opportunities that offer decent wages
(c) Drug or alcohol misuse
(d) Mental Illness
(e) Limited public and government assistance (7)

Nevertheless, of all the roots of homelessness in America, lack of affordable housing and low income are, by far, the leading causes. Year after year the price of housing in America significantly increases, yet the average wages remain relatively the same. Because of these conditions, many Americans have had difficulty paying their housing bills and other living expenses each year. As freelance journalist, Silja J.A. Talvi, wrote in an article entitled Homelessness Is a Serious Problem, “Low-income people are confronted with soaring housing costs and tight rental markets nationwide. A recent national survey from the National Low Income Housing Coalition revealed that nowhere in the U.S. can a minimum wage worker afford fair market rental costs for a modest two-bedroom housing unit. In order to afford the median fair market rent for a two-bedroom rental unit, a worker would have to earn $13.87 per hour, or 269 percent of the federal minimum wage. (In 2000, roughly 2.7 million Americans earned minimum wage which, on a federal level, has remained at $5.15 since 1997.) Simultaneously, the number of housing units affordable to low-income households has dropped, year by year. According to a 2001 HUD [Housing and Urban Development] report, 1.14 million affordable housing units were lost between 1997 and 1999.” Talvi also reported that since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there have been many layoffs nationwide in the retail, hotel, and air transportation industries—industries in which many low-income minorities work (8). Therefore, many Americans are having challenges, not only bringing in a reasonable income, but maintaining jobs as well. Even those who work overtime have found it difficult to cover their housing bills every month, let alone the remainder of their living expenses.
Moreover, the housing issue appears to worsen every year in America. In January 2006, Naomi Spencer wrote an article for the World Socialist Web Site entitled US living standards in 2005 continued downward trend. In the article, she talked about the attempts made by Americans to meet rising housing costs by taking out additional loans. Spencer said, “Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, in its State of the Nation’s Housing report, found that net growth in second mortgage debt nearly doubled in 2005 to $178 billion. The Federal Reserve pegged total noncommercial mortgage debt at $641 billion by the end of the third quarter. The heavy use of housing mortgages to meet daily expenses puts homeowners at considerable risk of an avalanche of debt or foreclosure in the event of an unexpected medical expense or job loss. It also increases the possibility that when the housing market deflates, as many economists project will occur in 2006, homeowners will be locked into paying enormously high amounts for homes worth significantly less upon resale” (9). Thus, the rising price of homes has not only worsened the nation’s homelessness problem over the past two decades, but is, at present, continuing to threaten a copious number of American citizens. The housing issue has been, and continues to be, a major threat to both the destitute and the average American civilian.

Another leading cause of homelessness is drug addiction. It is estimated that 34 percent of the homeless population suffers from alcohol or chemical addiction, and director of Street Outreach Services, Kris Nyrop, says that “waiting lists for publicly subsidized drug treatment can be as long as a year-and-a-half in major urban cities” (10). The addiction in itself causes major problems for Americans, because addicts will often use their housing funds to purchase drugs rather than pay the rent. Consequently, when they are evicted from their homes, there are not enough drug treatment centers to meet the needs of the addicts. Those who are sent to treatment centers rather than jail are the fortunate ones, but the transition from both the treatment centers and jail to the streets is tremendously difficult. Some addicts successfully recover, but they, too, have barriers to housing and employment. Most employers do not want to hire people with criminal records, and many public housing units turn away people who have committed drug misdemeanors. Therefore, many former drug addicts have no choice but to return to the streets.

Sources:
(1) http://www.usm.maine.edu/~Isavage/UrbanGeographyProjects/Homeless/homelessness_in_the_us.htm

(2) http://www.endhomelessness.org/pub/tenyear/NAEH_10yrplan.pdf
(3) http://www.answers.com/topic/homelessness
(4) http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/rulesandregs/laws/
(5) http://www.endhomelessness.org/pub/tollkit/facts.pdf
(6) http://www.answers.com/topic/homelessness
(7) http://www.usm.maine.edu/~Isavage/UrbanGeographyProjects/Homeless/homelessness_in_the_us.htm

(8) “Homelessness Is a Serious Problem” by Silja J.A. Talvi. Poverty and the Homeless. Mary E. Williams, Ed. Current Controversies Series. Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 30 June 2006 Document Number: X3010342207

(9) http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/jan2006/hous-j16_prn.shtml

(10) “Homelessness Is a Serious Problem” by Silja J.A. Talvi. Poverty and the Homeless. Mary E. Williams, Ed. Current Controversies Series. Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 30 June 2006 Document Number: X3010342207

What is the current situation regarding homelessness in America? (Written by Myrel Agbayani)

Picture found at: http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/images/homeless_alley.jpg

Homelessness has increased in the past years and there are many factors economically, politically, socially and medically, that cause it to occur. Under the economic factors, there is the issue of a lack of affordable housing. The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness stated, "According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, families across the country would need to earn a 'housing wage' of $15.37 an hour, nearly three times the current minimum wage to afford a two-bedroom apartment at the average fair market rent. West Virginia has the least expensive rental state, but the wage of $8.78 an hour would be needed just to afford a two-bedroom apartment." Everyone in America is facing this housing problem. There are also the issues of low incomes and lack of affordable medical care that falls underneath the economic factors. The current minimum wage nationally is 27% less than it was in 1968, making it harder to live a standard life. For health care, a family could spend up to $8000 a year. These issues lead to the question of, what should be sacrificed, food, health care or housing?
Politically, there is a lack of government intervention. There are cuts in federal assistance for housing programs and social services and that is definitely not needed. The campaign also said, "Without a safety net to help, many of the lowest income people must choose between things like food, medical care, and housing to make ends meet." There has been many requests from the homeless for more emergency shelters (3). There is a very high lack of awareness of programs. Nationally, only 19% of respondents taking a survey created by the Los Angeles Mission could name an agency or program that provides rehabilitation or job training for the homeless. At least 56% of the respondents were able to recognize food and/or shelter for the homeless (2).
Due to mental illness, drug addiction, and alcoholism, poverty is a possibility and people are at a greater risk of becoming homeless. 25% of the homeless population suffers from some form of mental illness and because of the high cost of health insurance, homeless people have no access to proper care to treat their mental illness. Also, 20% of the homeless population has a drug and/or alcohol addiction, but without affordable medical care, there's no way to help them with their addictions (3).

- In the U.S., more than 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year.
- 35% of the homeless population are families with children, which is the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.
- 25% are U.S. military veterans.
- 25% are children under the age of 18 years.
- 30% have experienced domestic violence
- 20-25% suffer from mental illness
- In urban communities, people experience homelessness for an average of eight months.
- 22% are employed
- On average, people remain homeless for 6 months (4).

(compiled by the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness)

More fact sheets on some states can be found here (5).

Twenty-four cities (Boston, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Providence, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Seattle, St. Paul and Trenton) took a "Hunger and Homelessness Survey" and compiled a list of their combined homelessness percentages.

- Requests for emergency shelter increased by an average of 6% with 71% of the cities registering an increase. Requests for shelter by homeless families alone increased by 5% with 63% of the cities reporting an increase.
- An average of 14% of the requests for emergency shelter by homeless people overall and 32% of the requests by homeless families alone are estimated to have gone unmet during the last year.
- In 88% of the cities, emergency shelters may have to turn away homeless families due to lack of resources; 79% may also have to turn away other homeless people
- People remain homeless an average of seven months and 87% of the cities stated that the length of time people were homeless increased during the last year
- 22% of homeless people in the cities are considered mentally ill; 30% are substance abusers; 15% are substance abusers; 15% are employed; 11% are veterans
- In 57% of the cities, families may have to break up in order to be sheltered. In 48% of the cities families may have to spend their daytime hours outside of the shelter they use at night.
- Requests for assisted housing by low-income families and individuals increased in 86% of the cities in the past year (1).

Sources:

(1) http://www.naeh.org/back/MayorsReport2005.pdf
(2) http://www.agrm.org/statistics/homerpt1.html
(3) http://www.nscahh.org/hunger.asp?id2=8802
(4) http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/hunger.asp?id2=15770
(5) http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/hunger.asp?id2=15771

(Pictures)
http://iws.punahou.edu/user/JStevens/project/bedshousing.JPG
http://iws.punahou.edu/user/JStevens/project/composition.JPG
http://iws.punahou.edu/user/JStevens/project/data.JPG
http://iws.punahou.edu/user/JStevens/project/cities.jpg
http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/images/homeless_alley.jpg

What should be done about the national homelessness issue? (Written by Traci Aoki)


Picture found at: http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org/programs/hff/images/v4i5-homeless2.gif

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, about three million people in the U.S. experience homelessness each year (1). In order to fight this problem and finally bring an end to it, a number of steps must be taken.
First, we need to prevent homelessness before it happens. It seems as though the number of homeless individuals never goes down since as soon as people leave the homeless system, others enter and replace them. Mainstream programs need to place more emphasis on preventing people from losing their homes; only they have resources necessary to address housing, income, and service needs of the homeless and the potentially homeless. Such programs include Medicaid, Job Training for Disadvantaged Adults, Social Services, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) (1). Unfortunately, mainstream systems are in excessively high demand and are under-funded in comparison to their expected duties. The government must give more grants to them in order to prevent people from falling into homelessness. In addition, people at “immediate risk of homelessness” should be allowed access to the same services as actual homeless individuals. These people include those living in doubled up arrangements or motels, and people exiting metal health facilities, prisons, or addiction treatment programs. If this were allowed, these people would be eligible for services through HUD Kinney-Vento, an act designed to assist the homeless. As a result, they would have a smaller chance of actually becoming homeless (2).
Another important step in ending homelessness is moving homeless individuals into permanent housing as soon as possible. In order to do this, most homeless require assistance. Programs helping people get back into housing need to do more than just assist them in finding and securing permanent homes. They also need to allow them continued access to services such as credit counseling for at least a year after they get a home and should conduct follow-up visits to check up on them and prevent problems that could lead to eviction and cause them to become homeless once again. Obtaining permanent housing is a crucial step for those trying to get their lives back on track and improve their futures. Increased funding should be used to build more permanent housing, either from HUD McKinney-Vento funds, or through taxes (3).
Next, although in an ideal situation homeless individuals would be placed almost immediately into permanent housing, this is not a possibility. As a result, more funding is needed for Transitional and Supportive Housing. Transitional housing provides homeless with a temporary place to stay until they can find permanent housing. These shelters are especially necessary in areas where vacant permanent houses are scarce. Transition housing also gives shelter to people who are unable to make the “transition” to permanent homes quite yet as a result of problems such as mental illnesses or substance abuse. Furthermore, residents of transitional housing have access to services provided by the shelter with the intention of eventually getting them into permanent housing. These services include job training, education, and employment counseling. More federal grants need to be given to transitional housing to fund the services, as they are extremely important in training homeless individuals in skills they need to find and maintain employment (4)
Now, while many homeless individuals can benefit greatly from transitional shelters, others require more assistance. Supportive housing can help to provide this. Currently, it is estimated that there are 150,000 chronically homeless individuals in the U.S. These are people who live in the shelter system, and are unlikely to ever earn a significant amount of money because of disabilities they possess. Yet, studies show that permanent supportive housing, housing with the appropriate services, can help them immensely in getting their lives back together and improving their futures (5). Therefore, we must create enough supportive housing for this group. This is extremely important, as about fifty percent of homeless adults have alcohol problems, thirty three percent have drug addictions, and between twenty and twenty five percent have major mental illnesses (3). These people need help that supportive housing can provide. To end the homelessness of the chronically homeless population, about 150,000 units of permanent supportive housing has to be built. However, in order for the creation of this additional housing to occur, organizations would need to acquire an increased number of service providers and funds. As with regular permanent housing, money for additional permanent supportive housing could come from HUD McKinney-Vento funds, or from taxes. Now, taxpayers may complain about having to pay increased taxes to finance the construction of permanent supportive housing. However, if they look at the amount of money they could save in the future on such things as homeless services and Medicaid if these people become stabilized, they will realize that this plan could be beneficial to them as well.
Next, in order to discover the services most needed by the homeless population and find the best solutions, extensive research and data collection must be conducted. Information such as who is homeless, why and how they became homeless, and what mainstream assistance they receive must be gathered on a "city- or state-wide basis" (1). This allows "trends" to be discovered and can help to identify the main factors that lead to homelessness. It also tells service providers if they need to update certain services such as rent assistance and child-care programs to meet current needs. Furthermore, the data collected helps answer important questions such as "What assistance is most effective in facilitating the re-housing of homeless people?" and "What mainstream services do families need after they are housed so they don't become homeless again?" (1). Research and data collection is essential in the fight to end homelessness.
One of the major problems preventing people from owning homes is the current scarcity of affordable houses accompanied by low wages. The supply of homes is unable to keep up with the demand and unfortunately, the shortage is increasing. Moreover, the number of households in need of housing support has increased as the cost of homes has also increased and wages have decreased. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, "there is no community in the nation in which a person working a minimum wage job can afford to rent a one-bedroom unit" (1). Yes, America is currently experiencing a strong economy. However, people with lower incomes are not benefiting nearly as much as those of higher incomes. Furthermore, what they do gain from America's economic growth is unable to keep up with the rising housing costs (4). Therefore, the government should increase the amount of affordable housing available to low-income individuals, as well as the grants given to housing programs.
To help the homeless get their lives back on track and get back into homes, the communities throughout the U.S. must work together. In some cities, it is against the law to reside or loiter on public property and people are prohibited from begging. Basically, it is illegal to be homeless. However, this does nothing to solve the problem. By arresting homeless individuals, all police are doing is giving them a criminal record (or adding to them) and thus making it even more difficult for them to secure jobs. Without employment, the people will never be able to afford housing and get out of the homeless system. Instead of arresting homeless people, police should help them by directing them or taking them to shelters where they can also receive food and services.
Finally, more funding needs to be granted to organizations providing services to homeless and low-income populations. As mentioned earlier, these services are essential in helping them to get their lives back together and improving their futures. Such services include job training so they can earn a living, substance abuse programs, and courses in money management. According to studies, only fifty percent of people who need substance abuse treatment receive it. These services are extremely important, and are crucial if an end to homelessness is ever hoped to be achieved. Therefore, the government must provide adequate funding for them so that they can help the homeless population as best as they can.
Individuals can help by donating money to organizations helping the homeless such as Beyond Shelter or Help USA. As I mentioned earlier, services essential to homeless individuals such as job training and rent assistance are highly under funded and any donations to them would be welcome. Extra money for the construction of affordable low-income housing is also needed. According to research, the types of assistance homeless adults felt they needed most were help in finding affordable housing, securing jobs, and paying for housing. Yet, most of the assistance they received were clothing, transportation, and help with public benefits. In fact, only about seven percent of homeless adults had help in finding homes (1). Now, donating items such as clothes and new toothbrushes to homeless shelters is still helpful to them and needed. However, what homeless service organizations need most and are not getting enough of is funding. Therefore, if you really want to help out in the fight against homelessness, donate money to increase the amount of services and affordable housing available to homeless individuals.

Beyond Shelter website: http://www.beyondshelter.org/home.html

Help USA website: http://www.helpusa.org/site/PageServer

Sources:
1) http://www.endhomelessness.org
2) http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/rulesandregs/laws/
3) http://www.hud.gov/homeless
4) http://www.nlihc.org
5) http://www.nationalhomeless.org/housing

What can be done about homelessness in America? (Written by Shaun Chang)

Realistically, what can be done about homelessness on a national level? This question has been posed time and time again with many proposed solutions. Unfortunately, in our day and age, many people believe there are more pressing subjects and matters to attend to; but here’s a list of small solutions that I’ve come up with.

1) We, as a nation need to start getting the homeless off the street and into shelters or homes.

2) The government could offer a stipend to the homeless community to help “get them back on their feet”

3) Many homeless are unable to get jobs simply because employers are uncomfortable with the concept of a homeless employee. An act could be passed that created equality for the homeless in job situations, or a union could be created that did something similar.

4) A good deal of the homeless community have addictions to either illicit substances or alcohol. Rehabilitation centers could be developed all over the nation along with the one’s we already have to help the homeless break these old habits.

5) Only $1.7 billion a year is spent on solving homelessness, this may sound like a lot, but in comparison to the $175+ billion spent on the military alone, the budget for homelessness is trivial. If we were to divert 0.01% of the military budget to help combat homelessness, that alone would double the funds.

What are the “powers at be” not doing?

The government is not paying enough attention to domestic problems we have. Our politicians are so focused on “the war abroad” that they are unable to attend to problems like homelessness. Even when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, our government did not intervene until much later in the crisis, and efforts made to prevent the disaster were apparently minimal. If our government cannot make the proper efforts to prevent something as cataclysmic as the flooding of an entire state, how are we to expect the government to make efforts toward solving homelessness?

What impact could we have to change the current situation?

Sadly none of us could do much more for the national homeless community than raise a couple thousand dollars for donation. Though it is indeed the thought that counts, $5,000 thrown at the national homeless problem does little more than a scratch. Our abilities to solve homelessness in Hawaii are much stronger. We could donate food, money, old clothes, backpacks and all kinds of useful items to local homeless shelters. We could also volunteer to erect new shelters that could house even more homeless. Another thing we could do is raise awareness to local businesses that the homeless are people too, and deserve to be employed as well. All of the efforts I’ve proposed could be done on a national level, but would have a much smaller impact. It would be more helpful if all of our efforts were focused on solving homelessness in Hawaii first, then we can play Bono and save the rest of the nation. For more information on what you can do to help homelessness in Hawaii read Tierney’s article on what can be done on a local level.

What does the future situation look like?

If the nation continues down the path its going, homelessness will be in the exact same place it’s at right now in 5 years, or even 10 years. However, if our government has an epiphany and decides to stop our wars abroad, this would free up a lot of government funds and allow some of it to be spent on domestic problems like homelessness. If our nation were to travel down this path, I can foresee bright skies in the future of our nation’s homeless.

Sources:

http://www.ucc.org/justice/witness/wfj051302.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1561909,00.html

Posted by Tierney Morikawa at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Transitional Shelters

• Alternative Structures International (Waianae – Families)
• Catholic Charities Hawaii – Kawaihae (Families)
• Catholic Charities Hawaii – Maililand (Families)
• Hale Kipa, Inc. - Men's Transitional Living Program (Young Men)
• Hale Kipa, Inc. - Women's Transitional Living Program (Young Women)
• Homeless Solutions, Inc. (HSI) – Kulaokahua Shelter (Elderly)
• Homeless Solutions, Inc. (HSI) – Loliana Shelter (Families)
• Homeless Solutions, Inc. (HSI) – Nakolea (Working Singles)
• Homeless Solutions, Inc. (HSI) – Vancouver House (Students with or without Families)
• Gregory House Programs (Honolulu – Singles with HIV)
• Kauai Economic Opportunities – Komohana Group Home (Singles)
• Kauai Economic Opportunities – Lihue Court (Families)
• Steadfast Housing Development Corporation – Hale Ulu Pono (Singles – Mentally Ill)

Transitional & Emergency Shelters

• East Hawaii Coalition for the Homeless (Hilo – Singles and Families)
• Holo Loa’a - Weinberg Village Waimanalo (Families)
• Holo Loa’a - Onemalu Emergency and Transitional (Singles and Families)
• Maui Economic Concerns of the Community - Ka Hale A Ke Ola Emergency and Transitional (Singles and Families)
• Maui Economic Concerns of the Community - Na Hale O Wainee Emergency and Transitional (Singles and Families)
• Mental Health Kokua – Maui Crisis Shelter (Singles – Mentally Ill)
• Mental Health Kokua – Patch Place (Singles)
• Mental Health Kokua – Safe Haven (Singles)
• Mental Health Kokua – SURF (Singles)

Emergency Shelters

• Institute for Human Services (IHS) – Sumner Street (Men)
• Institute for Human Services (IHS) – Kaaahi Street (Women and Children)

Posted by Traci Aoki at 11:31 AM | Permalink

Last month, Linda Lingle signed legislation that proposes more than $40 million into homeless programs. Three bills were signed into law. One of them spends $31.76 million to repair existing public housing, renovate state and federal buildings as emergency and transitional shelters and start homeless and low-income housing projects. $2 million goes towards Oahu and $400,000 will go toward each neighbor island. To read the full article or find more information on the bills, click here. (3) Many organizations have also taken part in helping the homeless. For example, there is an organization called Next Step. It's location is in a Kakaako warehouse and provided shelter for the homeless who were disclosed from Ala Moana Park. Under the leadership of Utu Langi, it runs from 5:30 p.m. - 8 a.m. providing over 200 people a home for the night. They are given food, a place to refresh themselves and the oppurtunity of receiving health care. (6)

Picture found at: http://starbulletin.com/2006/05/02/news/art3a.jpg

The homeless situation in Hawaii has been problematic for quite some time, and as each year passes, more and more are found homeless. Some areas in Hawaii have more of a problem of homelessness than others, such as the Waianae area and those living or used to live in Ala Moana Beach Park. Luckily though, government has intervened and laws are soon to be put into action. Homeless conditions were primarily caused because of the lack of government intervention, but now with Linda Lingle signing these three bills, the situationi is likely to change. There has recently been an increase in the standard of living, with the housing costs just skyrocketing, and also the property taxes, food, gasoline, and healthcare costs all increasing. All these factors lead into financial problems and many are forced into changing their lifestyle which leads into homelessness.

Picture found at: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/dailypix/2006/Mar/25/FPI603250342V2_b.jpg

Homelessness affects everyone. It all depends on how individuals can deal with the many changes in Hawaii today. Housing costs, which plays a huge factor of why people become homeless, has greatly increased these past years and now it is at its highest. Because of this, many are getting evicted from their homes and forcing them to live out in the streets. The housing problem affects the Waianae coast the greatest. Hawaii’s estimate of homeless people is already at 5,800, and almost 3,500 of them are from Nanakuli to Keaau. Imagine going for a drive, but suddenly seeing a 16-mile stretch of tents, and that’s how the Waianae coast looks like. Unfortunately, the homeless population has been dominated by the Polynesians and Micronesians. (5) In Hawaii's Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, it states that more than half of the homeless population, about 53% have been lifetime residents or have been residents for more than 20 years. 37% of those homeless are Hawaiian or Part-Hawaiian descendent. The gender count is basically even and the age can range from babies all the way to grandparents because families are usually found homeless more than just individuals. This is seen especially on the Waianae coast. (4)

(1) http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Homelessness_in_Hawaii
(2) http://www.lava.net/~panther/homeless.html
(3) http://starbulletin.com/2006/05/17/news/story01.html
(4) http://hawaiihomeless.bizland.com/partnersincare/id2.html
(5) http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jun/15/op/FP606150312.html
(6) http://starbulletin.com/2006/05/02/news/story03.html

Posted by Myrel Agbayani at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

One of the main causes of homelessness in Hawaii is a scarcity of available housing. This scarcity allows sellers to increase the prices of homes, and is why thousands of Hawaii residents are unable to afford a place to live. Unfortunately, the incomes of many people are unable to keep up with the rising costs of homes. In order to help alleviate this problem, more affordable housing must be built. The government needs to work with developers and funding sources to increase the number of homes and therefore decrease the amount of people facing homelessness. (1)
Other factors preventing people from being able to afford homes in Hawaii include welfare cutbacks and rising unemployment. The government should increase support services available to at-risk populations. These include substance-abuse treatement, life skills training, case management, and legal services, all of which are extremely important in getting victims of homelessness back on their feet. Moreover, through these services, outreach workers strive to educate >individuals and teach them skills that are essential in order to both gain and maintain employment. An increase in support services, as well as in the number of outreach workers, is necessary to end homelessness in our state.
Besides increasing affordable housing, additional transition and emergency shelters must also be built. These shelters provide people with a place to stay as they try to get back on their feet. Currently, there is a shortage of such shelters, and homeless individuals are actually put on waiting lists when they apply for places in them. Building more shelters is crucial in improving the situation being experienced by these people. (2)
Direct service to current and potential victims of homelessness is not the only thing needed to help alleviate this problem. Research and data collection is essential in the battle against homelessness. Hawaii will make much more of an impact against the problem if they have better knowledge of the homeless population and their needs. The government must collect data to clearly understand the homeless situation and how they can improve it. Only then can they help the homeless and prevent others from losing their homes.
Finally, the community needs to work together in order to improve the homeless situation and provide solutions. There are many conflicting opinions in the situation. However, unless a compromise can be reached, nothing will be accomplished. It is illegal for people to reside on public property. Tourism authorities want homeless people to stay off the beaches, saying that the homeless create a bad image for Hawaii and may drive visitors away. Other people claim that the presence of homeless people prevents them from enjoying other public places such as parks. Act 50, which went into effect in May 2004 allows police to arrest homeless individuals if they return within a year to a place from which they were “rousted” previously (3). Homeless people are left with nowhere to go. Wherever they go, someone will complain and call the police to remove them. The community must work together in order to come up with a solution. This is the only way homelessness in
Hawaii can ever end.

1) http://starbulletin.com/2005/05/01/news/story3.html
2) http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051024/NEWS01/510240327/1001/NEWS
3) http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/08/30/hawaiis_homeless_law_fuels_tension/

Posted by Traci Aoki at 9:13 AM | Permalink

Homelessness is a seemingly incurable epidemic in our community of Hawaii. Many plans have been made and put into action to mitigate the spread of homelessness, but to no avail. The number of homeless in Hawaii currently exceed 4,000 men, women, and children, and show no signs of stopping. Senator Gary Hooser had said that “Down on their luck”[1], is a term that is applicable to some, but not all of Hawaii’s homeless. Many can attribute their homelessness to drug or alcohol addiction, or fleeing an abusive relationship.
The ice problems in Hawaii only help to cripple attempts of stopping homelessness, many of the homeless willingly choose to purchase narcotics than to save for a home or rent. Many people unfamiliar to the plights of the homeless would assume that the homeless are to receive all the blame for their position in life. However, many homeless are lucky enough to be employed full time, but the real estate prices in Hawaii are so staggering, that they are unable to afford rent in the most scant of housing. Many homeless also seek work, but who is going to hire someone who’s reputedly homeless over someone who has a house of their own?
Many attempts of the governments have been made to stem the spread of homeless inhabiting public areas like the beach and parks. However, these attempts at public housing for the homeless do not appeal to many homeless because of their strict rules, it’s documented that homeless would rather sleep on a beach where they can come and go as they please, and consume whatever substances they want to, rather than live in a sheltered community that restricts them from doing so.

Continue reading "History of homelessness in Hawaii" »

Posted by Shaun Chang at 10:34 PM | Permalink

The History of Homelessness in Hawaii (Written by Shaun Chang)

What is the current situation regarding homelessness in Hawaii? (Written by Myrel Agbayani)

Last month, Linda Lingle signed legislation that proposes more than
$40 million into homeless programs. Three bills were signed into law.
One of them spends $31.76 million to repair existing public housing,
renovate state and federal buildings as emergency and transitional
shelters and start homeless and low-income housing projects. $2
million goes towards Oahu and $400,000 will go toward each neighbor
island. To read the full article or find more information on the
bills, click here: http://starbulletin.com/print/20005.php?fr=/2006/05/217/news/story
01.html (3). Many organizations have also taken part in
helping the homeless. For example, there is an organization called
Next Step. It's location is in a Kakaako warehouse and provided
shelter for the homeless who were disclosed from Ala Moana Park.
Under the leadership of Utu Langi, it runs from 5:30 p.m. - 8 a.m.
providing over 200 people a home for the night. They are given food, a
place to refresh themselves and the oppurtunity of receiving health
care (6).

Picture found at: http://starbulletin.com/2006/05/02/news/art3a.jpg

The homeless situation in Hawaii has been problematic for quite
some time, and as each year passes, more and more are found homeless.
Some areas in Hawaii have more of a problem of homelessness than
others, such as the Waianae area and those living or used to live in
Ala Moana Beach Park. Luckily though, government has intervened and
laws are soon to be put into action. Homeless conditions were
primarily caused because of the lack of government intervention, but
now with Linda Lingle signing these three bills, the situationi is
likely to change. There has recently been an increase in the standard
of living, with the housing costs just skyrocketing, and also the
property taxes, food, gasoline, and healthcare costs all increasing.
All these factors lead into financial problems and many are forced into
changing their lifestyle which leads into homelessness.

Picture found at:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/dailypix/2006/Mar/25/FPI603250342V2_b.jpg

Homelessness affects everyone. It all depends on how individuals
can deal with the many changes in Hawaii today. Housing costs, which
plays a huge factor of why people become homeless, has greatly
increased these past years and now it is at its highest. Because of
this, many are getting evicted from their homes and forcing them to
live out in the streets. The housing problem affects the Waianae coast
the greatest. Hawaii’s estimate of homeless people is already at
5,800, and almost 3,500 of them are from Nanakuli to Keaau. Imagine
going for a drive, but suddenly seeing a 16-mile stretch of tents, and
that’s how the Waianae coast looks like. Unfortunately, the homeless
population has been dominated by the Polynesians and Micronesians (5).
In Hawaii's Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, it states that more
than half of the homeless population, about 53% have been lifetime
residents or have been residents for more than 20 years. 37% of those
homeless are Hawaiian or Part-Hawaiian descendent. The gender count is
basically even and the age can range from babies all the way to
grandparents because families are usually found homeless more than just
individuals. This is seen especially on the Waianae coast (4).

Sources:
(1) http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Homelessness_in_Hawaii
(2) http://www.lava.net/~panther/homeless.html
(3) http://starbulletin.com/2006/05/17/news/story01.html
(4) http://hawaiihomeless.bizland.com/partnersincare/id2.html
(5)
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jun/15/op/FP606150312.html
(6) http://starbulletin.com/2006/05/02/news/story03.html

What should be done about the issue of homelessness in Hawaii? (Written by Traci Aoki)

One of the main causes of homelessness in Hawaii is a scarcity of available housing. This scarcity allows sellers to increase the prices of homes, and is why thousands of Hawaii residents are unable to afford a place to live. Unfortunately, the incomes of many people are unable to keep up with the rising costs of homes. In order to help alleviate this problem, more affordable housing must be built. The government needs to work with developers and funding sources to increase the number of homes and therefore decrease the amount of people facing homelessness (1). To do this, the government could raise taxes, since the creation of additional low-income housing will benefit taxpayers as well. Obtaining housing is a crucial step for people trying to get their lives back on track. Furthermore, after a once-homeless person becomes self-sufficient, taxpayers no longer have to pay to support him through services such as welfare or Medicaid. Therefore, by raising taxes now to help homeless people get homes and organize their lives, we can save money in the future.
Other factors preventing people from being able to afford homes in Hawaii include welfare cutbacks and rising unemployment. The government should increase support services available to at-risk populations. These include substance-abuse treatement, life skills training, case management, and legal services, all of which are extremely important in getting victims of homelessness back on their feet. Moreover, through these services, outreach workers strive to educate >individuals and teach them skills that are essential in order to both gain and maintain employment. An increase in support services, as well as in the number of outreach workers, is necessary to end homelessness in our state.
Besides increasing affordable housing, additional transition and emergency shelters must also be built. These shelters provide people with a place to stay as they try to get back on their feet. Currently, there is a shortage of such shelters, and homeless individuals are actually put on waiting lists when they apply for places in them. Building more shelters is crucial in improving the situation being experienced by these people. Every night, there are about six thousand people homeless in Hawaii (2). Enough shelters should be built to accommodate all of them.
Direct service to current and potential victims of homelessness is not the only thing needed to help alleviate this problem. Research and data collection is essential in the battle against homelessness. Hawaii will make much more of an impact against the problem if they have better knowledge of the homeless population and their needs. The government must collect data to clearly understand the homeless situation and how they can improve it. Only then can they help the homeless and prevent others from losing their homes.
Finally, the community needs to work together in order to improve the homeless situation and provide solutions. There are many conflicting opinions in the situation. However, unless a compromise can be reached, nothing will be accomplished. It is illegal for people to reside on public property. Tourism authorities want homeless people to stay off the beaches, saying that the homeless create a bad image for Hawaii and may drive visitors away. Other people claim that the presence of homeless people prevents them from enjoying other public places such as parks. Act 50, which went into effect in May 2004 allows police to arrest homeless individuals if they return within a year to a place from which they were “rousted” previously (3). As a result, homeless people are left with nowhere to go. Wherever they go, someone will complain and call the police to remove them. The community must work together in order to come up with a solution. This is the only way homelessness in Hawaii can ever end.

Sources:
1) http://starbulletin.com/2005/05/01/news/story3.html
2) http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051024/NEWS01/510240327/1001/NEWS
3) http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/08/30/hawaiis_homeless_law_fuels_tension/

Homeless Shelters in Hawaii

Transitional Shelters

• Alternative Structures International (Waianae – Families)
• Catholic Charities Hawaii – Kawaihae (Families)
• Catholic Charities Hawaii – Maililand (Families)
• Hale Kipa, Inc. - Men's Transitional Living Program (Young Men)
• Hale Kipa, Inc. - Women's Transitional Living Program (Young Women)
• Homeless Solutions, Inc. (HSI) – Kulaokahua Shelter (Elderly)
• Homeless Solutions, Inc. (HSI) – Loliana Shelter (Families)
• Homeless Solutions, Inc. (HSI) – Nakolea (Working Singles)
• Homeless Solutions, Inc. (HSI) – Vancouver House (Students with or without Families)
• Gregory House Programs (Honolulu – Singles with HIV)
• Kauai Economic Opportunities – Komohana Group Home (Singles)
• Kauai Economic Opportunities – Lihue Court (Families)
• Steadfast Housing Development Corporation – Hale Ulu Pono (Singles – Mentally Ill)

Transitional & Emergency Shelters

• East Hawaii Coalition for the Homeless (Hilo – Singles and Families)
• Holo Loa’a - Weinberg Village Waimanalo (Families)
• Holo Loa’a - Onemalu Emergency and Transitional (Singles and Families)
• Maui Economic Concerns of the Community - Ka Hale A Ke Ola Emergency and Transitional (Singles and Families)
• Maui Economic Concerns of the Community - Na Hale O Wainee Emergency and Transitional (Singles and Families)
• Mental Health Kokua – Maui Crisis Shelter (Singles – Mentally Ill)
• Mental Health Kokua – Patch Place (Singles)
• Mental Health Kokua – Safe Haven (Singles)
• Mental Health Kokua – SURF (Singles)

Emergency Shelters

• Institute for Human Services (IHS) – Sumner Street (Men)
• Institute for Human Services (IHS) – Kaaahi Street (Women and Children)

What can be done about the issue, and what is being done about the issue? (Written by Tierney Morikawa)

Picture found at: http://www.hawaiihomeless.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/homelesslogo.jpg

Fortunately, Hawaii’s government has taken more action these past three years in order to change the current state of Hawaii’s homelessness problem. On January 10, 2005, under the direction of Governor Linda Lingle, the Hawaii State Legislature publicly released the Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness in Hawaii. The “Action Plan” is comprised of six goals. The government intends to:

1. Improve data collection and research in order to develop new ways of obtaining money for the homeless.
2. Decrease barriers to housing by providing job training, safe affordable childcare and better transportation services to Hawaii’s homeless.
3. Provide access to appropriate, affordable, safe, and decent housing by researching gaps in the housing system, creating, renovating and repairing housing facilities, and by safeguarding existing affordable housing units.
4. Prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless by establishing a rental insurance program and providing outreach programs to victims of domestic violence.
5. Provide appropriate support services and a variety of treatment options for homeless people with health and addiction disabilities.
6. Create collaborative partnerships to end homelessness by educating the community about the issues and working with Hawaii’s people to make wise economic decisions regarding the homelessness problem (1).

On May 16, 2006, Governor Linda Lingle signed three bills that appropriated
more than $40 million into homeless programs as a part of the ten-year plan to end homelessness. The following is a list of some of the organizations that received money from the government:

»$5 million for Hawaii Coalition of Christian Churches to develop a housing project to include emergency, transitional and low-income rental housing in Waianae.
» $3.2 million to the counties to locate, design and maintain temporary emergency shelters.
» $2.1 million for Ohana Ola O Kahumana for a community center and transitional shelter.
» $2 million for Child and Family Service to build emergency and transitional housing for abused families with children.
» $600,000 for Ohana Family of the Living God for a temporary mobile shelter.
» $500,000 for H-5 (Hawaii Helping the Hungry Have Hope) pilot project to turn old tour buses into mobile shelters.
» $300,000 to Victory Ohana Prison Fellowship to help homeless mentally ill, parolees and substance abusers.
» $10 million to renovate vacant state and federal public housing units.
» $5 million to renovate state and federal buildings to be used as emergency transitional shelters.
» $8.4 million to go into the state Rental Housing Trust Fund from an increased conveyance tax on real estate sales (2).
The ten-year plan and the money appropriated to carry its efforts through is tremendous progress in itself. However, there is one key component to the plan that should be given more attention in order to help the homelessness operation progress faster and more effectively. According to a January 2006 article written by Honolulu Advertiser reporter, James Gonser, there are approximately 800 public housing units that are vacant because they are in need of repairs. Hawaii State Representative Scott Nishimoto said that “families could be into [those housing units] tomorrow if we made those repairs.” One proposal suggested that the affordable housing units be used for tax breaks, but many people disagree with this suggestion. William Starr Moake, an elderly man living in a public housing complex, told James Gonser that he thinks “it’s a disgrace that thousands of people are forced to live on the beach, where they get harassed constantly by the police.” Moake also said, “Apartments in my building are empty for months at a time, while homeless people live on the streets outside" (3).
Therefore, in order to keep costs low and ensure efficient use of resources, the government should concentrate more on repairing the existing housing facilities rather than building new structures. Then, once the 800 repaired units are filled, the government can concentrate on building more affordable housing units for the homeless. This way, the government’s program will provide immediate and long-term relief to a great percentage of Hawaii’s homeless population.

What are the “powers at be” not doing?
According to a Honolulu Star Bulletin article written by Mary Vorsino on May 4, 2006, some homeless have criticized the new state shelter in Kaka’ako. These people have stated that the shelter’s atmosphere feels like a prison. Leinati Matautia said she thinks the Kaka’ako shelter, surrounded by barbed wire, “looks like a slaughterhouse.” She and others have also condemned the Kaka’ako shelter’s curfew rules, saying that the 10 p.m. curfew is not conducive to those homeless who work night shifts rather than during the day. However, director of the state’s housing agency, Stephanie Aveiro, stated that she “was disappointed that [Leinati Matautia and others] had left [the shelter] that night without giving it a chance.” She said, “We’re providing a safe place for them to sleep at night. It was never more than that" (4).
It is apparent that some of Hawaii’s homeless shelters do not provide extremely comfortable conditions for their residents, but shelter officials are appropriately making safety an important factor in their decisions regarding housing for the homeless. Because the shelters are responsible for so many people, they must consider security a top priority. Moreover even if comfort is an opportunity cost for security, the shelters should continue to maintain their security standards. People must remember that a shelter is a temporary home. The objective of shelters is to assist homeless people in becoming self-sufficient by providing them with temporary housing and counseling services. If more money were placed into making shelters homier, the shelters would probably not be able to serve as many people. By providing only the basic necessities and keeping costs low, Hawaii’s temporary housing units are able to take in more people and touch a larger part of the homeless community.

What impact could we have to change the current situation?

If anyone would like to offer assistance to the homeless, they could start at the basic level with donations. Homeless shelters across the island chain can always use donations of food, blankets, sheets, towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap. Personal monetary gifts are also helpful. Many of the organizations and housing projects could also benefit from volunteers in education, even from high school students. As of right now, there are only a few organizations, like the Institute for Human Services, that arrange for the tutoring of homeless children by high school students. However, if the government could allot even a few of the shelters’ resources to set up more volunteer tutoring programs, homeless children’s education could be boosted. Executives at Partners in Care have stated that many homeless people become self-sufficient if they are able to obtain and hold decent employment. But many people don’t have the necessary education to attain adequate employment. Therefore, if basic education programs could be established throughout the shelters’ system, more homeless people might be able to receive adequate instruction. Furthermore, high school students and other adult volunteers would be able to help in this program by serving as educators.
Fundraising events can also be very successful and profitable. If you are interested in taking action on a slightly larger scale, you might consider getting together with a group of people to organize a concert or a dinner to benefit a reputable organization. To read about an annual fundraising event I helped to co-found to raise money for worthy causes, click on the following links:
www.malamajam.org
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Apr/25/ln/ln05a.html
http://starbulletin.com/2005/04/25/news/story4.html

Finally, people across the state in any position can generate awareness about homelessness. People can help by sharing data and statistics with other Hawaii residents and by communicating their thoughts and ideas to the state legislature. Every little bit helps.

If you wish to contact your Hawaii State Representatives in the Senate or House, see the following directories at:
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/info/direct/repdir.asp?press1=info&press2=direct (House)

and

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/info/direct/sendir.asp?press1=info&press2=direct (Senate)

What might the future situation look like?

Affordable housing appears to be the primary cause of homelessness today. Even for the median income family, living costs in Hawaii have caused financial issues to arise. Housing prices in Hawaii need to be kept low. If prices do not stay down, more and more Hawaii residents will be unable to pay their rent each month. And if people cannot pay their housing bill, they have no choice but to leave Hawaii or move out onto the streets. As a Honolulu Advertiser editorialist wrote in his/her article entitled Beachfront tent cities a shameful catalyst, "From Nanakuli to Kea'au, there's a tent city-- the final refuge for people squeezed out of homes by heartless economics and hard luck. The beach population has tripled in size over the past four years, and community leaders no longer call it a crisis, but a full-blown epidemic." If housing prices continue to rise, all of Hawaii's people will be affected, and many people will suffer.

The government also needs to give more attention to specific districts in Hawaii, like Wai'anae, that are having extremely bad problems with homelessness. In the Honolulu Advertiser article, Beachfront tent cities a shameful catalyst, an editorialist wrote, "The governor needs to quickly stem the Wai'anae homeless epidemic by opening up a new transitional shelter in the area, similar to the Next Step program that recently opened in Kaka'ako." If the government does not take care the of these specific communities that have been hit hard by the homelessness problem, the crisis will only continue to worsen. Currently, there have not been many problems with violence among the homeless occupying Wai'anae beach. However, as the homeless population on Wai'anae beach increases, there is more likelyhood of crime and violence arising. In order to contain the current problem in Wai'anae and prevent the epidemic from spreading, alternative living arrangements must be provided for the homeless in this area in the form of transitional shelters (5).

Sources:
(1) http://www.hcdch.state.hi.us/homeless.plan05.pdf
(2) http://starbulletin.com/print/2005.php?fr=/2006/05/17/news/story01.html
(3) http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jan/16/ln/FP601160334.html
(4) http://starbulletin.com/print/2005.php?fr=/2006/05/04/news/story03.html
(5) http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jun/15/op/FP606150312.html

Posted by Tierney Morikawa at 2:57 PM | Permalink