If you're homeless, Hawaii doesn't want your business.

Hawaii proposes to give homeless a one-way ticket out of the state
Jonathan Berr
Jul 29th 2010 at 4:00PM

As the economy continues to stumble, homelessness has skyrocketed, leaving many states grappling with an expensive and delicate issue -- what to do with the growing population of people finding refuge in shelters, parks and the streets. Hawaii, where a recent census showed that the homeless population on the island of Oahu skyrocketed by 15% in one year, has come up with a creative yet controversial plan to deal with its homeless problem: ship them to another state.

Hawaii's government and many of its residents worry that the homeless encampments dotting its beaches sap precious state resources and scare away tourists -- a source of income that the state desperately relies on. Many support a proposal that the state pay to send some of its homeless population back to where they came from, provided there is someone to take them in. The rationale: Spending $300 for a one-way ticket to the West Coast is far cheaper than the $35,000 per year it costs to provide a homeless person with social services, according to the Associated Press.

"If clear parameters are set -- a verified family member willing to take them in, the homeless person actually wants to leave -- then I think it makes perfect sense," says John Cheever, a teacher at Punahou School who lives in Honolulu.

"The one-way plane fare is far less costly than the cost to support out-of-state residents and straining our social service infrastructure," says Yvette Maskrey, a district manager for Honeywell who lives in Aiea, Hawaii. "Our charitable donations and tax monies should be prioritized and directed to local residents who are in dire need of these services."

The plane-ticket proposal, which is estimated to cost about $100,000, is aimed at the growing non-resident homeless population. It's estimated that 30% of Hawaii's homeless come from out of state. The attraction of Hawaii to those down on their luck is fairly obvious. Besides featuring gorgeous weather, Hawaii has jobs at a time when many other states are suffering. Unemployment in June was 6.3%, the sixth lowest in the U.S., and well below the national rate of 9.5%. But like other states, Hawaii has plenty of fiscal woes. Officials garnered national headlines last year when the state was forced to close public schools to help close a $1 billion budget deficit.

Many of these new arrivals, who come via one-way plane tickets, don't realize that life in paradise can be difficult. Kevin Morrissey came to Hawaii seeking a better life only to wind up homeless."It was always a dream of mine to come to Hawaii so when I lost my job as a bartender in Ft. Lauderdale, I thought I might find something better here," Morrissey told KITV 4 News.

"Once they get here, they are stuck," says Rona Fukumoto of Catholic Charities Hawaii, who believes the plane-ticket program is a good idea but is skeptical that it will attract much interest from homeless people.

Flying the homeless home is the latest twist on an old idea. Some towns used to give the homeless who agree to leave a bus ticket. While the idea has a certain appeal, it is far from a perfect solution. Many of the homeless shipped to a new location just end up being homeless somewhere else, says Sheila Crowley, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

"Years ago, we used to call it 'Greyhound Therapy,'" she says. She believes a better solution is to address the shortage of affordable housing that causes homelessness. A recent study found that housing someone in a shelter is more expensive than providing them with transitional housing or rent.

"Rather than be concerned with the visual impact of our state's homeless problem on the tourism industry, we need to act with compassion," says Melissa Data, a social worker from Kaneohe, Hawaii. "Instead of moving our homeless, regardless of where they came from, we need to provide better support services that address the root problems and end the cycle of homelessness."

Soon after taking office, the Obama administration invested $1.5 billion in the new Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. Billions more have been spent on other housing programs, which officials say kept millions of people in their homes who might otherwise have wound up on the street. Yet, the effectiveness of some of these programs -- especially those aimed at helping people lower their mortgage payments -- have fallen short of expectations.

Data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development shows a 10% reduction among people experiencing chronic homelessness in 2009, but a rise in the number of families seeking shelter. Many homeless programs in areas such as Chicago, Colorado, and California have either faced or are facing budgetary shortfalls as cash-strapped state and local governments look to balance their books.

Recently, the government release its first ever Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness that promises to "finish the job of ending chronic homelessness in five years." However, there has yet to be any money attached to those brave words.

"On a single night in January 2009, there were an estimated 643,067 sheltered and unsheltered homeless people nationwide," the report says. "In 2009, approximately 1,035,000 individuals used sheltered or transitional housing at some time during the year, as did 535,000 people who were there as part of a family."

Given the current moribund state of the economy, being homeless on the sunny beaches of Hawaii doesn't seem so bad.

Marie LaPointe, a homeless woman who moved to Hawaii from Oakland, Calif., put it this way: "I'm not going, because this is my home. I've been in Hawaii for a long time. They can't force you. I'm not going back over there for nothing."

If there willing to help pay there way to move them into another state and give that state a new problem, why not help them get a job and home.

I mean in all seriousness if there willing to put over so much money to get the homeless out of there state then why not help these homeless people out, train them for jobs and help them get into homes etc.

That makes more sense vs just tossing the problem onto another state.


It's too bad I don't have a end less load of money, I would love to help start a project to help get homeless people jobs and homes etc, I mean some of the homeless people seriously can not help the tough spot there in or even how they got there in the first place.

Hearing this just bugs me and upsets me.

ITs alot of information, a one way ticket is probably much less than training and job search resources(clothing, transportation,,etc,,)

If there is family willing to take them back, I dont see it as a bad thing actually. I just wonder why the family doesnt foot the bill or at least be held to paying back the fare at some point.

Maybe it is cheaper for them to give home less people a one way ticket out of there state etc.

However maybe some homeless people doesn't have a way to get a hold of there family or friends for help who knows.

I forget the year of the Olympics in LA.

As they were preparing, they made sweeps and rounded up thousands of homeless and mentally ill homeless and shipped them to other States.

Bad for business to have them panhandling. Takes revenue away from the city.

When I was a teen, living on the streets of New Orleans, just before Mardi Gras, I got caught in a sweep. They gave me a one-way ticket back to Ms.

PHX did this years ago for the Superbowl. They sent them all to Tucson and Tucson police was waiting for them at the depot and sent them all back.

Well they "Supposedly" sent us Obama, so what do you expect.

From what I understand, many of the homeless here, were shipped here from other states. We have quite a few on the Big Isle

I bet HI won't be buyin' many Mexicans plane tickets out ...

I thought Hawaii was an ISLAND..

Uh-oh.
We gots us a wise gal here tryin' to confuse the story with facts!
Put out a red alert!





















Yer a cutie, Ms pmarco41!

The New Colossus


Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" of the greyhound bus..





......

Bring back the WPA, hard work, low pay, but it was a JOB.

HONEST people who want to work will.

There are jobs ALL OVER, might not be what you want, but you won't starve.

INTEGRITY & ETHICS....something many seem to have forgot.

An old sage's opinion.

there are jobs, but FAR more jobseekers and there are many jobs that would still leave you starving,,,,

for example, working for 8 dollars per hour, take home would be about 275 per week,, taking away 125(minimum) for child care and another 25 for fuel,,,thats about 125 per week to pay rent, utilities , food,,,,

yeah, I think you would pretty much starve AND have to be away from your kids to boot,,,,

The Soviet Union (and others) found that 'Command-and-Control' economics always result in failure - Obama knows, and doesn't care. Good luck finding what people in this country used to call a 'job'. Like O says, they 'ain't dere no more'.

hawaii is an island, and there is only so much room and jobs.i don't think it's such a bad idea.

It's a series of 8 islands.............

it's only an island when you look at it from the water

Right ... when y' look at 'em from the air, they're a target ... like, oh, say - Pearl Harbor ...