For years, Native Hawaiians have been leaving their homeland to live in the U.S. mainland because of the rising costs of living. Many fear the problem will get worse as Maui rebuilds after the devastating Lahaina fire in August.
According to CBS News, 15,000 native Hawaiians leave Hawaii to live in the mainland U.S. So many Native Hawaiians have left that the “mainland” now has a larger Native Hawaiian population than Hawaii.
Native Hawaiians told CBS News they fear that rebuilding efforts in the wake of the Lahaina fire will price them out. According to Hawaii News Now, several homeowners and property owners in Lahaina recently discovered they did not have enough insurance coverage for the rebuild.
Many Native Hawaiian families say they’re leaving the island to provide a better life for their children.
“By going to the mainland, we can put our kids in a home that we can call ours,” Richard Pelen told CBS News. Pelen added that the high cost of living makes it impossible for him and his wife Shantashia to give their children a great life.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
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