The most recent homeless point in time count by the Continuum of Care program on Oahu and the neighbor islands continues to show high levels of unsheltered homelessness, as documented now for more than 30 years since the first official Hawaii homeless census in 1991. These counts that appear to demonstrate little to no progress vex both those working in the field, and perhaps even more so, regular citizens who have to live in a community with such numbers of visible homeless people. This frustration could be ameliorated if a better and more holistic explanation of the phenomenon of modern homelessness was understood.

There are two challenges with the homeless population: 1) housing those who are homeless — which homeless providers have done very well over the last 30 years; and 2) stopping the flow of new people into the ranks of the homeless. Addressing the second issue is beyond the ability of government, nonprofit agencies, or anyone else that tries. A hospital can mend broken bones from car crashes, but it cannot impact how many crashes occur. The tired conventional wisdom centering on the lack of affordable housing continues to offer a poor explanation since it lacks a wider ecological perspective.

A simple look at the different rates of homelessness among whites and Native Hawaiians compared with Japanese, Chinese and Filipinos in Hawaii and on the mainland reveals another factor in the homelessness equation. People who cannot afford their own housing are supposed to live with (or return to live with) their families. Homelessness is much lower (three to 10 times) among populations that still maintain these large family support networks.

Understanding homelessness demands a more historical understanding of the trends of household formation and composition. The key change in household formation since the 1960s is the rise of single adult households either via divorce, never marrying, or simply out of choice due to the relaxation of strict family and gender norms which previously offered a safety net. The more single adult households you have, the more homelessness will exist. It is really that simple. The last few decades have seen the rise of freedom from previous norms. Freedom begets chaos in a neutral sense. Homelessness is just one of the characteristics of this freedom from norms.

Another issue that confuses people is the definition of homelessness itself, which defines people living in housing ranging from a dormitory at the Institute for Human Services, a four-person barracks room at U.S. VETS, or an apartment with a two-year lease at Catholic Charities’ Maili Land transitional housing complex as sheltered homeless. Such housing offers everything and more than an apartment does, and often at a fully subsidized price. The only real distinction between this housing and regular nonhomeless housing is limited privacy.

The other issue that gets lost in the details of homeless programs is the anti- family policies of the U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which effectively deters the ability of housing-voucher holders to allow family members or friends to live in their HUD-supported unit. It is normative to share housing with others, and it is culturally appropriate to allow people to let their ohana come live with them for a month, a year or however long needed.

It is extremely difficult for people to give up the belief that affordable housing is the key driver of homelessness. Providers see it because they try to house homeless people in their own apartments instead of urging them to go back to family or putting them in shared housing at half or sometimes a third of the cost. The vast majority of people who are homeless would not benefit from affordable housing, because they essentially need free housing since they can barely pay $200 a month in rent.

Until people understand how changes in household formation and relaxation of societal norms are the primary drivers of homelessness, and until advocates, politicians and regular citizens recognize that homeless agencies and local governments are powerless against these characteristics of modern society, frustration will loom unimpeded.

Michael Ullman, Ph.D., has worked in homeless services in Hawaii and nationally for 20-plus years; he holds a doctorate in social welfare from the University of Hawaii-Manoa.