The Other Side of Paradise

BY KATELYN TAIRA

“It’s gotten worse,” my Aunty Aileen says as we talk over lunch. It is difficult to reconcile the images of picturesque beaches and sunsets with the hunched figures shuffling along the streets and crouching next to buildings we have both seen. With half of my family living on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, I frequently visit my relatives’ homes, beaches to sign up for turtle tours, and local haunts. However, when confronted with cardboard boxes serving as makeshift shelters, dirty bare feet and the tattered hems of pants and shirts, and shopping carts piled high with sundry personal belongings, I begin to question Hawaii’s status as a paradise. Unsurprisingly, officials in the Oahu city of Honolulu have swept their homeless population off of the tourist-infested shores and onto the streets to save the city’s reputation as a prime vacation spot.

With homelessness up over 30 percent from the past 5 years, Hawaii has attempted to retain its longstanding reputation as a tourist destination by removing any sign of homelessness from its crowded beaches and parks. It is not uncommon for a homeless individual to be fined for pushing his or her carts or sleeping on sidewalks near popular tourist sites. The police go as far as confiscating the belongings of those who don’t comply. The response of Honolulu, Hawaii’s capital, to the problem of homelessness is indicative of Hawaii’s larger problems. Honolulu officials recently passed an ordinance that now allows the police to arrest those who sleep and urinate within the city. The ordinance is being applied now in Waikiki, a Honolulu neighborhood and major tourist destination that officials want clear of signs of homelessness. These fines, arrests, and losses of property further a vicious cycle of criminalizing Hawaii’s homeless population. These measures do little to alleviate the problem of homelessness and only serve to displace it by forcing the homeless out of the sight.

Oahu is finite in space: there are only so many places to go before hitting the water. So with the beaches off-limits, the homeless population often looks to downtown areas or parks as a source of refuge. Lawmakers, however, have decided to close public parks at night and ban tents in public spaces. Historically and once primarily restricted to run-down Chinatown, the homeless population is growing and expanding outside of its former parameters into the business districts, causing concerns primarily with business owners and the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Small businesses in particular have taken a special interest in deterring the homeless with informal patrol and renovated storefronts. However, these measures do not stop the homeless from congregating and sleeping in front of places of business.

Passed in June 2013, Hawaii’s Return to Home law sought to purchase homeless individuals one-way airplane tickets off of the island, essentially saving taxpayers from providing welfare and making the state more tourist-accessible. It seems logical considering 6 out of 10 homeless individuals are not originally from Hawaii, but instead are lured from the mainland with promises of warm weather and suitable living conditions. The bill, however, has never been implemented because of complications regarding funding, setting up mainland family connections, researching criminal background, and other logistical issues. Since the homeless crisis cannot be neatly exported, lawmakers have passed provisions that will hopefully create more affordable housing. Hope, however, cannot be hinged upon these measures. The cost of living in Hawaii, according to a recent U.S. Commerce Department Bureau of Economic Analysis report, is the highest in the nation, topping both New York and California. This economic environment limits the ability of the homeless to improve their quality of life.

The most troubling aspect of this crisis, however, is the view that homeless people are the problem, as opposed to homelessness itself. While tourism and development are among Hawaii’s primary focuses, the fact remains that there are 465 homeless individuals for every 100,000 people in the state. With a population of only 1.4 million, Hawaii cannot displace such a significant number of its residents every day, deem the situation sufficiently dealt with, and continue to peddle out souvenir t-shirts and leis. In order to fully treat the homeless crisis, Hawaiian officials must provide a transparent social services support system and individualized care that includes job training and treatment for individuals. Such support is necessary considering that two-thirds of the homeless population consists of veterans, the mentally ill, and addicts. While it cannot be easily remedied, the homeless crisis in Hawaii requires immediate attention and some of the famed “aloha spirit” of inclusion that the state boasts. With the right policymakers, motives, and infrastructure, homelessness can be significantly reduced, thereby allowing tourism to thrive while also placing an emphasis on the individual well-being of all of Hawaii’s citizens. With this goal in mind, Hawaii may maintain its label as a paradise not only for tourists, but for its locals as well.