Officials still optimistic despite 4.7% rise in homeless population

The number of Oahu’s homeless people is growing at a higher rate than last year, and an important metric, the number living on streets instead of shelters, rose 11 percent, according to the latest Homeless Point-in-Time Count.

The count, conducted Jan. 22-29, tallied 4,556 homeless people on Oahu, a rise of 4.7 percent from the previous year. Counters identified 3,091 homeless people on Oahu as sheltered, a 1.8 percent increase from the 2012 measure. Of this number, 901 were individuals and 2,190 were part of 523 households with children.

Oahu’s unsheltered homeless count climbed to 1,465 from 1,318, a roughly 11 percent increase over last year. While 1,193 of these people were singles, 102 people were in multi-adult households and 170 people were part of 43 households with children. The number of chronically homeless people and families on Oahu also rose 18.9 percent to 718; however, 89 more of them went into shelters this year than in 2012.

It’s a good sign that 67.8 percent of Oahu’s homeless count was sheltered in 2013 and that the number of chronic homeless people moving into shelters increased significantly, said Darryl Vincent, chairman of Partners in Care-Oahu’s Continuum of Care, which oversaw the count, an annual requirement for receiving federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“I see the increase in shelters as a good thing,” Vincent said. “Sometimes, the first step is not necessarily permanent housing.”

The latest increase in unsheltered homeless, which reverses the downward trends in 2011 and 2012, does not bode well for alleviating the signs of homelessness on Oahu. However, Vincent said higher numbers aren’t necessarily indicative of performance struggles because it’s difficult to measure how much of the increase is due to improved accuracy in counting or the influx of homeless populations.

“We know that we are getting people off the streets, so I would say that the unsheltered number tells us that we need more work in prevention. We have resources that help people who are homeless, now we need to concentrate on those that keep them from getting there,” Vincent said.

Paul Oshiro, program manager for the Waikiki Health Center Care-A-Van drop-in center and clinic, said Oahu’s lack of affordable housing and high cost of living are contributing to increases in homelessness.

Consistently good weather and easy access to services are among the reasons that homeless flock to Oahu, said Jay, a 32-year-old homeless man from the West Coast, who enjoys permitted camping in the beach parks and commutes into Waikiki a few days a week to solicit tourist donations.

“I hate Hawaii. I wouldn’t choose to live here if I wanted to jump through hoops like a normal person,” said Jay, who declined to give his last name. “I’m here because it’s a good place to be homeless. It was easy to get on food stamps and the weather is great, all you need are your shorts, flip-flops, a sheet for a blanket and a tarp.”

Oshiro said continual migration from the U.S. mainland and from nations that have compacts of free association with the U.S. such as Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia also have boosted homelessness, while widespread drug problems and mental health issues have exacerbated issues.

“More money needs to be spent on affordable housing, prevention and drug and mental health services,” he said. “It’s much cheaper to get people into supportive housing than to pay for all the services that they will use when they are homeless.”

Donna Mendoza, a 52-year-old woman who has lived on the streets for a decade, said she deliberately breaks rules so she can go to jail, where there’s a safe bed and regular food.

“I got kicked out of Waianae in 2006 and I’ve been in Waikiki ever since,” Mendoza said. “I’m trying to make a go of it, but it’s hard. I’ve been to job fairs, but nobody wants me.”

Mendoza said she survives off Waikiki tourists, one of whom donated as much as $90.

“I went to a shelter once, but I didn’t like the rules. To me it was stink,” she said.

The count cannot explain why Oahu’s homeless shelters have vacancies or why it’s so difficult to entice people to adopt more stable lifestyles; however, state homeless coordinator Colin Kippen said it helps policymakers identify the gaps that interfere with their goal of ending homelessness.

“One of the things that this report screams out is that we have a lot to do and the Housing First collaboration with the city is really the right approach,” Kippen said. “If everyone went into shelter, you’d see a reduction in our unsheltered population. We have to look at getting people into a more stable situation as quickly as possible.”

Earlier this month, Mayor Kirk Caldwell unveiled a multimillion-dollar Housing First plan, which aims to put up to 100 people in permanent supportive housing by 2015. Kippen said the state is augmenting the city’s efforts by applying for a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which could provide up to $2.1 million for three years of mental health and drug treatment services.