Why is homelessness so hard to fix?

Generally, governments mitigate the economic causes of homelessness, by subsidizing housing through public-private partnerships. They also combine subsidized housing with “Housing First” supportive services for drug-addicted and mentally ill homeless. There are successes. But historically, exclusive reliance on these programs only helped a small percentage of the homeless. Here’s why:

Housing is expensive. There are economic limits on taxpayer/developer subsidies. If we’ve been unable to fund Hawaiian homesteads for 96 years, how can we house over 10,000 homeless? Moreover, even if we could fully fund subsidies, homeless droves would flock from the mainland for a “free home in paradise,” overwhelming social services.

Everyone also has constitutional rights to refuse medication, addiction treatment and shelter. When “outreach” workers can’t convince addicted/mentally ill homeless to accept help, they often violate the rights of others, committing petty crimes and turning neighborhoods into trash dumps and toilets. Frustrated officials employ sweeps, driving recalcitrant homeless from one illegal camp to another.

Instead, we can implement compassionate, bold solutions with money we have now, not what we might have tomorrow. We don’t have to end “houselessness” to end homelessness. Combining the following six proposals could end homelessness in a year.

1. “Park & Sleep” residential campgrounds: Nominal cost to the state. This expands the concept of “Housing First” to “Dwellings First.” In the land of endless summer, a home doesn’t have to be an apartment. Homeless people who are waiting for housing or eschew shelters, need a place to go. Hundreds of acres of undeveloped industrially-zoned government lands could be safe places to live in cars, tents or other temporary dwellings. Residents would have hygienic facilities, a place to lock valuables, a mailing address, access to public transportation and “Housing First” supportive services from existing organizations.

2. “Stay for Work” program: No cost to the state. The Department of Land and Natural Resources should allow some homeless to camp in parks, in return for helping park maintenance workers.

3. Market-based alternative dwellings: No cost to the state. Would allow privately developed, for-profit campgrounds with mobile homes, RVs, yurts, igloos, prefabricated sheds or tents.

4. Yardmates bill: No cost to the state. Homeowners could rent yards as campsites or driveways for camping vehicles. Renters would enjoy the same household amenities as conventional roommates.

5. Distribute Hawaiian Homelands as is: Nominal or no cost to the state. Battles over construction costs stymied distribution of Hawaiian Homelands for 96 years. The solution? Increase kuleana homestead leases to distribute unimproved lands under DHHL’s Rule §10-3-30. Native Hawaiians who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, are better off with unimproved kuleana land than no land.

6. “The Tough Love Act”: Nominal cost to the state. This doesn’t “target” the homeless. All serial petty offenders, homeless or not, changed Hawaii from a paradise where no one locked their doors, to a place where theft, trespassing, illegal dumping, graffiti vandalism and other “minor crimes” destroy the quality of life.

This act would provide sentences of one to five years for anyone convicted of a petty misdemeanor with a record of 10 or more convictions. Instead of prison, courts can compassionately and constitutionally sentence “impaired” offenders to psychiatric care, substance abuse treatment and require homeless offenders to live in legal campgrounds or supportive dwellings for up to five years. Current sentences are too short to help impaired offenders or not long enough to deter miscreants. This act thereby would solve vexing constitutional problems with offenders who exercise their rights to refuse help, while repeatedly violating the rights of others.

Mike Goodman, J.D., is director of the Hawaii Kai Advisory Council Homeless Task Force.