1997 – Leave Jeffrey Alone
Something I wrote for The Garden Island newspaper in 1997 about a man who lived on the beach at the bottom of the hill from where I live (IYKYK).
2011 – On Christmas Shopping, The Homeless And Tough Love
Our first reaction is to clear them from the parks. We want to be able to throw frisbee, barbeque our burgers, and take our early morning and late afternoon jogs without the inconvenience, the unsightliness, and the fear that sometimes comes with being in close proximity to the mentally ill and others who lack contemporary social skills and whose personal hygiene may be inadequate.
2023 Getting rid of all those homeless people – A primer
An acquaintance grabbed my ear recently saying, “Gary, how can we get rid of all those homeless people?” He went on to bemoan the presence of the poor and unwashed that seem to be sleeping under every bridge and in every doorway.
2023 On the houseless – take the drivel to your beer buddies
And please don’t be that ignorant fool at the table bragging about how he worked 3 jobs, how he sacrificed, how he never took handouts, and how he pulled himself up by the bootstraps. If you don’t believe we have a basic human duty to help those less fortunate, just shut the front door (STFD) and take the drivel to your beer buddies outside.
2025 #1 No room at the inn
There’s no affordable housing, no beds available at emergency shelters. There’s not even a legal place for you to park your car and sleep overnight, let alone a campground with bathrooms and perhaps a shower.
And yet you’re told to move along.
We can, and must do better.
2025 #2 Sheltering the houseless – ending the sweeps
So, Hawai‘i: What are we going to do about it? What CAN we do about it?
A healthy diverse economy with living wage jobs and permanent affordable housing for local residents is of course key to long term success.
However the almost complete lack of adequate emergency shelters with the related essential services, requires immediate action.
2025 #3 The Haters Are Gonna Hate – more on the unsheltered
Yes, the uninformed, misinformed, and ignorant who don’t really care about the facts anyway – have triggered me.
So please hold on while I vent.
To the know-it-all haters out there, just shut the front door (STFD), find a comfortable chair and do some research of your own before spreading the tropes and stereotypes.
Gary Hooser
GaryHooser's Blog 