EDITORIAL
Ending homelessness is not a lost cause

According to best estimates, at least 13,000 people in Hawai'i have no permanent address. They camp out in cars, parks, airports, beaches or on a friend or relative's couch.

And it's abundantly clear that police sweeps to clear the homeless out of parks and other public places are not reducing their numbers, but rather simply moving them from one site to another.

So the good news is, Hawai'i is finally confronting its homeless problem as a practical matter rather than a source of embarrassment.

As Homeless and Hunger Awareness Week nears, city, state and federal officials are joining together to attack the problem of homelessness via a homeless "academy" of housing and healthcare providers who will jointly plan how to end homelessness.

It can be done, according to Lynn Maunakea, executive director for the Institute for Human Services, which runs shelters in Iwilei. But Maunakea warns that the cycle of homelessness won't be broken just by providing food and temporary shelter. The need is for affordable housing and jobs.

According to a report by staff writer James Gonser, the U.S. homeless problem mushroomed in the 1980s following an extended decline in affordable housing construction, wages that didn't keep pace with the rising cost of living and dwindling federal support for health services.

What that means is that most people living on the streets are not prone to chronic homelessness, but are victims of circumstances or a run of bad luck. One researcher found that 60 percent of homeless people get back on their feet fairly swiftly once they get help finding jobs and affordable housing.

Another 10 percent defined as "chronically homeless" use the lion's share of resources. They need more specialized attention, and that's what the homeless academy plans to give them.

It has outlined a mission to "develop a more comprehensive and integrated system of housing and services for people who are chronically homeless and help them achieve their optimal level of health, safety and well-being."

We wish this effort success and hope this war on homelessness — and not against the homeless — will include job-training programs and drop-in centers where the homeless can rest, wash and meet resource providers.