• Kaua‘i’s Homeless Situation Kaua‘i’s Homeless Situation The homeless situation on our island is a problematic situation that reflects on other aspects of life on Kaua‘i. There are elements of substance abuse and crime, of inflated real estate values and
• Kaua‘i’s Homeless Situation
Kaua‘i’s Homeless Situation
The homeless situation on our island is a problematic situation that reflects on other aspects of life on Kaua‘i.
There are elements of substance abuse and crime, of inflated real estate values and lack of well-paid jobs plus high prices for life’s basics, of long-term government inaction and ongoing community outreaches that help but never solve our social problems, of funds thrown at conferences and studies that come and go with minimum effect on core problems like homelessness.
The makeup of the homeless population has been described in reports and letters to the editor published recently in The Garden Island. It appears we are looking at mostly families and individuals with local ties in the Lihu‘e area, while newcomers, along with some local families, are living in parks in outlying areas like Ha‘ena and Salt Pond.
The homeless situation, which involves about 300 people, came to the forefront with a dictate from Mayor Bryan Baptiste that Kaua‘i’s parks need to be ridded of the homeless by a date in mid-November.
An exodus from the parks means a one-way airline trip off Kaua‘i, a move to more isolated locations on non-park lands that might be privately-owned or government land, or a concerted effort by the community and local government to take this problem by the horns and solve it by finding housing for most of the homeless.
Earlier this week in speaking of the homeless situation Mayor Bryan Baptiste told The Garden Island: “Just to accept it, to let it continue, it allows the peripheral things” to get worse. “We are trying to take a compassionate look at it.”
In speaking of the “peripheral things” the mayor, it seems, was talking about drinking and drug abuse and other problems that arise in many areas where the homeless congregate.
There are doubters in the community who see a lack of a firm, cohesive plan for the homeless. The Garden Island has received letters saying the mayor’s statements lack a clear cut, doable plan.
The crunch in this situation, if the park removal plan stays on schedule, is coming quickly, less than two weeks before Thanksgiving Day.
Signs that there is a realistic solution to the problem are starting to appear. We’ve received news of some success from those rallying the churches to help the homeless, with some churches coming forward with offers to take care of some of the homeless.
The Kauai Economic Opportunity organization is working to enhance the group’s ongoing outreach to the homeless.
However, even with these signs of new activity in helping the homeless a wider, more broad-based effort is needed.
Admittedly, it’s hard in a community where basic housing units are turning into gold for their owners to dig up housing for those with little or nothing to pay for it.
What is needed is quick action in finding a location, or locations, to house the homeless in temporary shelters if needed. Action not unlike that taken in the days and weeks following Hurricane ‘Iniki to help those who lost their homes.
Also needed is a firm promise of charitable or government funding for the construction of low-income housing that would give the homeless a start, as well as provide homes for the working poor who struggle on Kaua‘i to keep a roof over their heads. Unfortunately, it seems the latter group is growing as the value of Kaua‘i’s homes rises.
While there is no magic bullet to fix our homeless problem – especially in the area of chronic substance abuse – real progress can be made in providing housing for the homeless if the will is there among our government leaders to lead the way for our charitable organizations, our community groups and our private citizens.
The aloha touted as the spirit of Kaua‘i should encompass all our residents, rich or poor.
