TO OUR READERS
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now are joining forces to report on the ever-worsening homelessness crisis.
While both news organizations will continue to report daily stories on homelessness, we will work together on bigger projects that delve into all aspects of the issue. To reach the widest possible audience for these important projects on this crisis, you will see reports in print, online and on broadcasts.
For example, on this page of the Star-Advertiser and in Hawaii News Now broadcasts on Monday, you will find stories on homeless encampments you might not be aware of and learn details about some of them.
Through stories such as these, we hope to raise awareness among the public — and public officials — about the gravity of the situation and the need to take action to help the homeless and, by doing so, help our community.
Both newsrooms hope you, as readers and viewers, will help with this project by offering comments, observations and suggestions online and in letters to the editor. While a collaboration between two competing newsrooms is unusual, Hawaii’s homelessness crisis requires an unusual approach.
The city expects to announce two new tiny-home kauhale locations this year with a third to follow as Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s administration continues to look at ways to reduce homelessness. Read more
The Institute for Human Services on Wednesday unveiled a facility for a new approach to treating Oahu’s most troubled homeless people — a 24-hour triage center. Read more
Bills are moving through the House and Senate that would expand Gov. Josh Green’s vision of creating more communities of tiny homes across the state to house the homeless and provide them with social services to reduce the islands’ homeless population. Read more
Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. Best of all, it's FREE to sign up!
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s administration has offered its plan to deal with the needs of the nearly 4,000 homeless people living on Oahu. Read more
Hawaii’s new housing chief doubts that she’ll ever be able to buy a home of her own. Read more
Despite good intentions to improve the health and well-being of a vulnerable population, the tactic has been criticized — previously and now — as a questionable or improper use of a governor’s statutory emergency powers. Read more
Health care and government officials Friday celebrated the opening of a new medical clinic in Iwilei serving the homeless and operated by Kalihi- Palama Health Center. Read more
Institute for Human Services Connie Mitchell joined the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” livestream show today and answered viewer questions. Read more
The holiday distribution was conducted by JABSOM’s Hawaii Homeless Outreach and Medical Education (H.O.M.E.) Project, a student- run, free clinic that aims to improve access to health care for homeless people and bring awareness of their needs to the health care community. Read more
Green and Blangiardi on Tuesday teamed up to help announce a $2.5 million grant to Family Promise of Hawai‘i, a nonprofit group that helps homeless families with children. Read more
A new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by AARP has estimated that Hawaii has 5,116 homeless adults — about one-third of whom are kupuna 55 years or older. Read more
Fears of a large-scale surge in homelessness in Hawaii triggered by COVID-19 job losses failed to materialize thanks to state funding and the work of service providers, the state homeless coordinator said Monday. Read more
The city plans to open a free wound-care clinic in Chinatown in November to primarily serve the homeless. The clinic would be the first official collaboration between the city and the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine’s Homeless Outreach & Medical Education, or H.O.M.E., program. Read more
Maui County is launching a one-year pilot program to allow residents who sleep in their vehicles to park overnight in a designated county-owned lot. Read more
As Oahu’s summer tourism season comes to its traditional Labor Day end, the main Nimitz Highway corridor that visitors use to get from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport into Waikiki last week was unusually clear of homeless encampments. Read more
Mayor Rick Blangiardi called Thursday’s cleanup a “sanitation” action and not a continuation of former Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s “compassionate disruption” approach to reducing homelessness, which offered social service help combined with cleanups and the threat of law enforcement action. Read more
A majority of Hawaii voters participating in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Hawaii Poll indicate they have seen no improvement in homelessness in the islands, with 67% saying the problem has gotten worse over the past 12 months. Read more
The Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement program sends emergency medical technicians and community health workers to respond to community concerns and nonviolent, homeless-related 911 calls, and conducts outreach aimed at getting unsheltered homeless people housed. Read more
East Honolulu’s percentage of unsheltered homelessness in 2022 has grown to 24%, or 575 of the 2,355 unsheltered homeless people recorded during the March 10 Point-in-Time count. Read more
Oahu saw a decrease overall in this year’s Point-in-Time Count of homeless people, with the number of people in shelters dropping 24% and the number of those unsheltered increasing by 0.4% compared with the count in 2020. Read more
Homelessness has grown slightly on Hawaii’s neighbor islands, according to the most recent Point-in-Time Count. Read more
74