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.

There’s no room at the inn, no affordable housing, no beds available at emergency shelters. There’s not even a legal place for a houseless family to park their car and sleep overnight, let alone a campground with bathrooms and perhaps a shower.

That’s only a tiny sampling of the reality facing those in our community who for whatever reason, have found themselves houseless.

And you have the audacity to say, “They should just get a job. The vast majority can work if they want to. Until people take responsibility for themselves shelter will always be a problem.”

Tell that to the homeless children and their single mother, the kupuna, the aging veteran, and those living under the bridge with medical challenges.

Please. I’m begging you.

Don’t be that ignorant fool at the table bragging about how you worked 3 jobs, how you sacrificed, never took handouts, and pulled yourself 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 (again) and take the drivel to your beer buddies outside.

How do you get a job when you’re a single mother with children to care for, and you’re living on the beach?

How are you supposed to get a job when you can’t seem to shake the cough in your chest, have no health insurance, no transportation, no address, and no place to sleep at night?

The truth is, many of the houseless do work full time, are not strung out on drugs, did not just fly into town, and are just doing their darnedest to survive.

Do the math. Minimum wage is $14, x 40 hours per week x 4 weeks = $2,240 per month minus taxes = approximately $1,900 monthly take home pay.

Wow! That’s almost enough to rent a 1 bedroom studio and pay for electricity and water – IF you could find such a deal.

Of course you’d still need to find money to pay for car expenses or bus fares, telephone/internet charges, clothing, toothpaste, soap, and other essentials commonly referred to as food and medical expenses.

While it varies a few cents from island to island, for a single individual without children, $30 per hour is a living wage in Hawai’i. Source MIT EDU

For too many of us, our first reaction is simply remove them from public spaces as if they don’t exist. We want to enjoy our days without the inconvenience and fear that sometimes comes with being in close proximity to those existing on the very lowest rung of the economic and social ladder.

But hold on a second. Just who are these people?

According to Bridging the Gap, the Neighbor Islands Continuum of Care – Metrics that matter – Chrome

56.1% of all unsheltered adults have lived in Hawai’i 20+ years
26.5% are families with children
30.7% of families led by a single mother
31.5% are children 17 and under
41.7% of the children are 5 and under
12.7% of the adults are over 62 years of age
5.1% are adults who’ve lived in Hawai’i under 1 year
4% served are veterans

Yes, as is the case with many families in our community, some struggle with problems of mental health and addiction. And yes a tiny handful just got off the plane.

But regardless – as a community we have a responsibility to reach out and help those who can be helped, who want to be helped, and who seek shelter, medical care, and nourishment.

We must stop perpetuating the untruths, the stereotypes, and the hate.

Gary Hooser
* Interested in my personal “evolution” on the houseless/homeless/unsheltered issue?

On the unsheltered. 7 missives. Starting with Jeffrey.