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We were visiting Oahu for a week last month and a lot of the huge homeless camps had been shifted away from the beaches up around Chinaman's Hat side. All the beach parks along that side were clean of all homeless people. We did see a lot of them in the industrial area over around Barber's Point. Not a high touristy spot there at all.
We only drove through Waikiki once and didn't stop anywhere there so we weren't there long enough to see if there were many homeless but they weren't obvious during a drive by. Although, we weren't looking for them, either, they very well could have been tucked in all over the place.
I've known a few homeless folks over the years and each one had a different story about why they were homeless, there may not be any specific overall answer.
Oahu has been very aggressive in moving the homeless to areas where tourists won't see them. They've used that law to pick up and store belongings if they camp on sidewalks - and they have to pay $200 to get the belongings back or they get destroyed in 30 days. It has worked - eventually they get the message.
Go figure cant afford to rent an apartment or hotel to get off the streets. Not enough affordable housing, nor does anyone want to pay to provide housing, tourists and everyone complains about the homeless. Soo what does the city do? Charge $200 to homeless people to get there stuff back! Gee that sounds productive to reducing the homeless problem. Idk, maybe something like provide proof that they are getting into shelters or working with a service provider councillor to get housing, maybe even renting a hotel room value upto $200 or apartment to get stuff back would be better?
Im tempted to believe whats really happening is the homeless cant come up with $200 to pay the fine, so whats happening is the city or courts are ordering community service. Great way to get free labor, especially from a desperate homeless guys whose only blanket etc, the city has.
It funny that local goverments only solution to homelessness is to outlaw it, fine it, or jail it.
Last edited by hawaiian by heart; 01-18-2014 at 01:05 AM..
Wow pretty brazen or just plain stupid to camp in those tents right on the streets. There are so many alleyways and small spots they could hide away for the night without drawing attention to themselves but that would mean downsizing a bit.
The reason they camp in the open is because it is not safe to camp it in a hid away area where there would be no witnesses if they were attacked, which does happen. Life on the streets, anywhere, is dangerous. But if it were me, I would do it rather than be in an isolated area and have who-knows-who come up on me at night when I was sleeping.
The shelters are usually dangerous places as well. There was a time when I was homeless, and the city run shelters were the last places I wanted to be. It isn't the rules, it's the likelihood of being assaulted.
Maybe that guy who went vigilante with the shopping carts could have instead tore them down and have them recycled or sold the metal off for scrap and then donated that money to a project or effort that provides assistance to the homeless? Maybe his brazen actions are perpetuating the legacy of society's perspective on homelessness.
This guy is a bully and did this for the publicity obviously. It's much easier to pick on a group of people who can't fight back then to actually tackle the problem.
Maybe that guy who went vigilante with the shopping carts could have instead tore them down and have them recycled or sold the metal off for scrap and then donated that money to a project or effort that provides assistance to the homeless?
Seriously, they should have been returned to their owners, the stores they were stolen from.
When I visited oahu in 2011 (and the years prior), there were many permanent tents set up between the highway and beach near the hot area. When I visited oahu a few weeks ago, I didn't see any tents! I'd say somehow the homeless situation seems to have improved. Maybe the 1-way air ticket to mainland is working?
When I visited oahu a few weeks ago, I didn't see any tents! I'd say somehow the homeless situation seems to have improved. Maybe the 1-way air ticket to mainland is working?
They are getting very aggressive on Oahu making the homeless move around and not settle permanently, otherwise they take their stuff and they have to pay to get their things back. They passed laws the last couple of years to make that happen. So far it has been very effective.
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Gee that sounds productive to reducing the homeless problem. Idk, maybe something like provide proof that they are getting into shelters or working with a service provider councillor to get housing, maybe even renting a hotel room value upto $200 or apartment to get stuff back would be better?
