HONOLULU (AP) — About 6 percent of Hawaii’s homeless population moved to the state in the last 12 months and about 16 percent arrived within the last five years, according to a University of Hawaii report ADVERTISING HONOLULU (AP) —
HONOLULU (AP) — About 6 percent of Hawaii’s homeless population moved to the state in the last 12 months and about 16 percent arrived within the last five years, according to a University of Hawaii report
Hawaii’s homelessness problem is considered one of the worst in the nation per capita. Some homeless advocates say Hawaii is a desirable place because of its warm weather, beaches, easy access to assistance and universal health coverage.
The report will be released Friday, but lead author Sarah Yuan, of the University of Hawaii’s Center on the Family, gave a sneak preview at a meeting of the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness.
“It’s not a large number, but a sizable amount of people — about 600 or so,” she said of the homeless who arrived in the last 12 months. The 1,600 who arrived in the last five years may have come to Hawaii with a job that they eventually lost, she said.
“For some reason, they could not make a living here,” Yuan said.
The Institute for Human Services has been helping homeless people find their way back to the mainland. The nonprofit agency recently announced an outreach program in Waikiki with help from the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association that will offer assistance in returning home outside of Hawaii.
The joint study by the University of Hawaii, Manoa and the state Department of Human Services has been conducted every year since 2006 as a way to provide insight into the state’s homelessness problem.
