The number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Hawaii almost doubled over the past year, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The homelessness rate in Hawaii increased to 87% compared to the national rate which saw an 18% increase.
The report says a total 11,637 people in Hawaii experienced homelessness from 2023 to 2024. This includes sheltered and unsheltered homelessness.
Those who are sheltered are in an emergency shelter, safe haven or transitional housing program as opposed to those who are in an unsheltered location.
The report also says the devastating Maui wildfires in August 2023 are a major cause of this spike, as thousands of people were displaced from their homes and required emergency shelter.
John Mizuno, Hawaii’s coordinator of homelessness and housing solutions, said in a statement that more than 5,200 people were displaced as a result of the wildfires, the Honolulu Civil Beat reported.
But Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders had the highest unsheltered rate at 25% compared to other racial groups.
Ryan Catalani from Family Promise of Hawaii, a non-profit organization that assists unhoused families, told Hawaii News Now he was not surprised by the report.
“Homeless is really driven by economic factors. The cost of housing. The cost of living. Not being able to pay the bills. And unfortunately Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are disproportionately affected by those factors,” Catalani said to Hawaii News Now.
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Oprah can easily house all the homeless Native Hawaiians on the 1,000 acres of Maui that she bought up. That land grab pushed property prices up and displaced so many Native Hawaiians even before the fire. Oprah need to apologize and donate all that ancestral land back to Native Hawaiians!