Third meanest to homeless?
www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/08/30/hawaiis_homeless_law_fuels_tension?mode=PF
The Boston Globe
August 30, 2004
Hawaii's homeless law fuels tension
State to debut at 3d on list of 'meanest'
By Pat Bigold, Globe Correspondent
HONOLULU -- Despite a strong state economy, the homeless rate in Hawaii has nearly doubled over the past four years, and the majority of the new homeless are native Hawaiians and those with some Hawaiian ancestry.
From fabled Waikiki Beach, one of the places where the homeless congregate on Oahu, to the neighboring islands that conjure the image of paradise to planeloads of tourists who arrive daily, there is increasing tension between the
thousands of homeless people, their advocates, and state, city, and county governments.
Darlene Hein, a homeless advocate who works at Waikiki Health Center, said there's an inevitable tension between homelessness and tourism.
''Obviously if visitors go to the beach and see homeless people, it just doesn't suggest the image of Hawaii and aloha," said Hein.
Fueling the ill feelings is a new state law that went into effect in May allowing police to arrest homeless people if they return within a year to a spot from which they were rousted.
It's why Hawaii will make the National Coalition for the Homeless ''Meanest States" list for the first time next month, debuting at No. 3,according to coalition cofounder Michael Stoops. Meanwhile, Honolulu will jump from No. 19 on the
''Meanest Cities" list to No. 9.
But Sandra Miyoshi, the homeless programs section administrator for the state Housing and Community Development Corp., takes exception to the
coalition's rankings.
''I happen to know that the way they did their rating was to interview a couple of people, and those couple of people had a lot of negative things to say," said Miyoshi. ''I think Hawaii could be friendlier to the homeless, but I think
we're making a great deal of progress."
Stoops said much more is considered for the rankings than just the opinions of two people. Stoops said he is in frequent contact with care providers in Hawaii and monitors news coverage from the 50th state. A 2003 state survey indicated that there are more than 6,000 homeless people on any given day in Hawaii, but as many as
14,595 experience homelessness during the course of a year.
He cited not only the new state law, but earlier actions, such as police sweeps of beaches and parks, the removal of benches where the homeless slept in Waikiki and downtown Honolulu, and the installation of razor wire under viaducts.
''When we first got the [Meanest Cities] designation I didn't agree with it," said Lynn Maunakea, executive director of the Institute for Human Services, Hawaii's largest homeless shelter. ''They weren't seriously kicking people out of places then. I think we have definitely earned the designation now."
Lois Perrin, legal director of the ACLU of Hawaii, said the new state law is the most severe of its kind in the nation.
She said it was ''patently unconstitutional" and indicated the ACLU would challenge it if a credible case is brought to her office.
But Governor Linda Lingle, who signed the law, sent a different message to the homeless on July 15 when she emphasized their plight and called for 17,000 affordable rental units over the next five years.
Miyoshi said 1,800 of the units will be ''specifically for the chronically homeless."
The 2003 state survey found that 41 percent of Hawaii's homeless population had been previously evicted for nonpayment of rent. The monthly rent for a standard studio apartment in Honolulu often costs about the same as what the city's Section 8
program subsidizes for a two-bedroom apartment ($995).
Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris addressed the problem Aug. 9 when he said a federally financed transitional housing complex will be built for 150 homeless people on the Waianae Coast, about 30 miles from Waikiki Beach.
Stoops commended the housing plans announced by Lingle and Harris, but said they are ''too late" to keep Honolulu and Hawaii from moving up the Meanest lists. The Waianae project is expected to be complete by the end of 2005.
That is little comfort for the homeless, about 675 on an average day, on Waianae Coast.
Some 61 percent are Hawaiians, according to the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. Hawaiians represent only about 18 percent of the state's population, but the state survey suggested they make up 37 percent of the state's homeless population. Caucasians are next, at 32 percent.
© Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company
The Boston Globe
August 30, 2004
Hawaii's homeless law fuels tension
State to debut at 3d on list of 'meanest'
By Pat Bigold, Globe Correspondent
HONOLULU -- Despite a strong state economy, the homeless rate in Hawaii has nearly doubled over the past four years, and the majority of the new homeless are native Hawaiians and those with some Hawaiian ancestry.
From fabled Waikiki Beach, one of the places where the homeless congregate on Oahu, to the neighboring islands that conjure the image of paradise to planeloads of tourists who arrive daily, there is increasing tension between the
thousands of homeless people, their advocates, and state, city, and county governments.
Darlene Hein, a homeless advocate who works at Waikiki Health Center, said there's an inevitable tension between homelessness and tourism.
''Obviously if visitors go to the beach and see homeless people, it just doesn't suggest the image of Hawaii and aloha," said Hein.
Fueling the ill feelings is a new state law that went into effect in May allowing police to arrest homeless people if they return within a year to a spot from which they were rousted.
It's why Hawaii will make the National Coalition for the Homeless ''Meanest States" list for the first time next month, debuting at No. 3,according to coalition cofounder Michael Stoops. Meanwhile, Honolulu will jump from No. 19 on the
''Meanest Cities" list to No. 9.
But Sandra Miyoshi, the homeless programs section administrator for the state Housing and Community Development Corp., takes exception to the
coalition's rankings.
''I happen to know that the way they did their rating was to interview a couple of people, and those couple of people had a lot of negative things to say," said Miyoshi. ''I think Hawaii could be friendlier to the homeless, but I think
we're making a great deal of progress."
Stoops said much more is considered for the rankings than just the opinions of two people. Stoops said he is in frequent contact with care providers in Hawaii and monitors news coverage from the 50th state. A 2003 state survey indicated that there are more than 6,000 homeless people on any given day in Hawaii, but as many as
14,595 experience homelessness during the course of a year.
He cited not only the new state law, but earlier actions, such as police sweeps of beaches and parks, the removal of benches where the homeless slept in Waikiki and downtown Honolulu, and the installation of razor wire under viaducts.
''When we first got the [Meanest Cities] designation I didn't agree with it," said Lynn Maunakea, executive director of the Institute for Human Services, Hawaii's largest homeless shelter. ''They weren't seriously kicking people out of places then. I think we have definitely earned the designation now."
Lois Perrin, legal director of the ACLU of Hawaii, said the new state law is the most severe of its kind in the nation.
She said it was ''patently unconstitutional" and indicated the ACLU would challenge it if a credible case is brought to her office.
But Governor Linda Lingle, who signed the law, sent a different message to the homeless on July 15 when she emphasized their plight and called for 17,000 affordable rental units over the next five years.
Miyoshi said 1,800 of the units will be ''specifically for the chronically homeless."
The 2003 state survey found that 41 percent of Hawaii's homeless population had been previously evicted for nonpayment of rent. The monthly rent for a standard studio apartment in Honolulu often costs about the same as what the city's Section 8
program subsidizes for a two-bedroom apartment ($995).
Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris addressed the problem Aug. 9 when he said a federally financed transitional housing complex will be built for 150 homeless people on the Waianae Coast, about 30 miles from Waikiki Beach.
Stoops commended the housing plans announced by Lingle and Harris, but said they are ''too late" to keep Honolulu and Hawaii from moving up the Meanest lists. The Waianae project is expected to be complete by the end of 2005.
That is little comfort for the homeless, about 675 on an average day, on Waianae Coast.
Some 61 percent are Hawaiians, according to the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. Hawaiians represent only about 18 percent of the state's population, but the state survey suggested they make up 37 percent of the state's homeless population. Caucasians are next, at 32 percent.
© Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company