Research Paper On Homeless

A Helping House for Homeless in Hawaii

The homeless problem is one of the biggest issues facing us in Hawaii, and it only continues to grow. Here, there are nearly 500 homeless people for every 100,000 people, which is the highest rate per capita in the US. In 2015, Hawaii declared a state of emergency due to the extremely high population of homeless people that it no longer knew how to handle. This led to a crackdown on ridding homeless people from the sidewalks and streets, using laws such as the sit-lie ordinance. While this on its own, does not help the homeless situation, there are service groups working with these laws to help move their programs forward. Homelessness is such a huge issue that it may seem like we will never be able
Of course, this sounds very obvious, homeless people need housing, but the housing first program, is something that has been proven to work in several states, such as Utah. Putting homeless people into permanent housing not only keeps more people off the streets, but its also generally less expensive, compared to sending the homeless to shelters, putting them in jail, and having to care for them when they must be sent to the hospital after being out in the open for so long. Putting people into stable housing can decrease a lot of the stress put on them, which makes it easier to cut back on substance abuse and get jobs. Putting homeless in permanent housing would also reduce the number of people out on the streets, since that is one of our states primary concerns. Seeing dirty tents and shopping carts full of plastic bags on the beach or in highly populated spots like Waikiki is severely damaging to Hawaii’s tourist economy, since it ruins the clean and hospitable paradise vision many visitors have of our state. Housing first would not only have the same effect as the sit-lie ordinance, by getting homeless out of public areas, but it would also actually help take care of their
One of the biggest problems with the sit-lie ordinance is that homeless people were forced to stay in places that were largely inaccessible to service providers, which many rely on for daily meals. If they left their belongings behind to find food, they would often be confiscated. This left homeless people with no choice but to take everything they own on exhausting trips of what could be miles, or go without food. This system would enable food and care to reach homeless people in a far easier way. In addition, this would benefit single parents who have jobs by allowing them a safe place for their kids to stay while they work. They would also be able to focus on spending their money on other places of necessity without worrying about a place to stay. The housing system overall makes the most sense, as many homeless people do have jobs, but housing in Hawaii is simply so expensive that they still can’t afford it. One of Clarence T.C. Ching’s Foundation’s goals include assistance for the needy, destitute, sick, and aged, and all of the homeless population falls into one or more of these categories. I believe this shows that Mr. Ching definitely would want to do everything he could to solve the homeless problem in Hawaii. In fact, Mr. Ching did something similar in the development of Kukui Gardens, which has been