Hawaii Sets Aside $100,000 To Offer 17,000 Homeless People One-Way Airfare Back To The States

[big_dog]

Source: The London Daily Mail


Hawaii is hoping to take the burden off its welfare system by saying aloha to its 17,000 homeless residents.

The state will offer one-way tickets home to any eligible homeless person to anywhere in the continental United States.

Hawaii has allotted $100,000 for a three year trial run of the so-called 'return-to-home' program, which could also even offer participants beds on cruise ships bound for their homes


'Provisions include: transportation to the airport, orientation regarding airport security and ensuring proper hygiene. Additionally, if state funds were utilized for the purpose of sending people home, the participants would berequired to sign voluntary departure agreements that would need to be recorded in databases.'




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2381732/Hawaii-sets-aside-100-000-offer-17-000-homeless-people-way-airfare-home-states.html#ixzz2alhCJDLA

[NoOneMan]

1. Or you could always help them with that money

[ForgoTheConsequence]

2. Simple as that huh?

"which could also even offer participants beds on cruise ships bound for their homes"


Yeah, see......... the problem with that is.......................
















THEY DON'T FUCKING HAVE HOMES!!!

[big_dog]

4. this is sickening

didnt one of the wingnut GOP mayors in New York City propose the cruise ship/homeless idea before?

[Safetykitten]

21. Wait...what? Oh, THAT. Well, we can, or...but...they are POOR! We don't want them here in paradise.

[closeupready]

3. Wow. Way to go, Hawaii, helping to solve problems you've helped create.

[Marrah_G]

10. I don't think it about forcing people to leave

I think it's about offering people a way to get back to their families or friends on the mainland who could help them . Most homeless people could never afford to fly back if that was what they wanted to do.

[closeupready]

27. Oh, okay - well yeah, I didn't see it like that.

If that's how it's intended, I guess it's okay.

I just wish governments could actually be more pro-active than just shipping them 'back where they came from.'

[Cha]

16. How do you know "Hawai'i helped create them"?

Hawai'i has lots of Housing to help low income.. and HUD for those who are lower income working and retired people.

They also have mostly a good climate so a lot of people come here to hang out on the beach. That's fine.. but, since Hawai'i is offering those who WANT to go back and don't have the fare.. then I think it's called ALOHA.

[closeupready]

28. Right - Marrah made that point above; I wasn't thinking

in those terms. Cheers.

[Cha]

29. Cheers and

Aloha to you, closeupready

[humbled_opinion]

5. Why would they leave?

Hawaii is the most beautiful state in the USA, low crime rate, no need to worry about weather/exposure etc.. historically Hawaiian natives have always lived in a semi-homeless status....In short if I had to be homeless than Hawaii is the place I would prefer to be.

[Cha]

17. that's just it.. it's only if someone wants to..

I'll be curious to know how many takers they have.

[Hekate]

20. See my post #12. You don't want to be homeless there

Lots and lots of mosquitoes. Lots and lots of rain. You can die of exposure overnight after you get rained on.

What do you base this statement on, by the way? "historically Hawaiian natives have always lived in a semi-homeless status" Not in my experience they haven't.

And there is a crime rate.

[Safetykitten]

22. As compared to being homeless somehere else.

[Hekate]

31. Aside from the bad sunburn... how do you get away if you want to?

If you are homeless anywhere on the Mainland you can beg for money for the Greyhound Bus. You can hitch a ride. You can even walk.

Safetykitten, in Hawai'i you are literally thousands of miles from another state, in the middle of the ocean. Jobless and homeless and so very obviously "not from around here" must be a desperate feeling.

[humbled_opinion]

33. I lived on Oahu for 10 years

Many of the native Hawaiians were living homeless in Waiʻanae and there was strong resistance to state government controls on the natives who were being led by Bumpy Kanahele.... these people lived in tent citys on the beach and yes they were homeless hundreds of them for many years in the 80's and 90's...

I never heard of anyone dying of exposure overnight since the temp never drops below mid 70's and never goes above 90 the average temp is 85 with a nice cool island breeze to keep humidity very low, and also keeps mosquitoes under control, I don't think I was every bit by a mosquitoe while there... now fire ants and centipedes thats another story ....

and of course the crime rate is very low when compared to where ever in CONUS they intend on sending the homeless folks....

[Arugula Latte]

81. In Kauai there is a sort of tent village at Salt Pond beach.

People living there have access to running water and restrooms.

Still, not an easy life...

[SylviaD]

23. Southern California and South Florida have similar climates... n/t

[mahina]

49. Oh brother.

[dlwickham]

51. and some of the worst poverty in the country

venture outside of Honolulu and you'll see how some people truly live

cost of living is high because most everything has to be shipped in

[dkf]

52. Most of the homeless I see aren't Hawaiian.

Our Governor made a huge push to get housing for our homeless. The homeless I see as I walk around town probably have some mental illness.

[mahina]

55. Me too, and there are more every day it seems.

I see that King st. has become a shelter at night, all up and down the street, as only Chinatown was in the past.

[mahina]

54. Curious which mele or moolelo bring you to this conclusion?

"historically Hawaiian natives have always lived in a semi-homeless status"

I am not familiar with any, with the exception of those who were cast out for unacceptable behavior.

From where I'm sitting, the current situation has no roots in old Hawai'i, but is a consequence of colonialism and capitalism at the expense of traditional Hawaiian lifestyles and social norms.

http://wehewehe.org/gsdl2.85/cgi-bin/hdict?a=q&r=1&hs=1&m=-1&o=-1&e=d-11000-00---off-0hdict--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-ED--4-------0-1lpm--11-haw-Zz-1---Zz-1-home-moolelo--00-3-1-00-0--4----0-0-11-00-0utfZz-8-00&q=chant&j=pm&af=1&fqf=ED

http://wehewehe.org/gsdl2.85/cgi-bin/hdict?a=q&r=1&hs=1&m=-1&o=-1&e=q-11000-00---off-0hdict--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-ED--4-------0-1lpm--11-haw-Zz-1---Zz-1-home-mo%2527olelo--00-3-1-00-0--4----0-0-11-00-0utfZz-8-00&q=moolelo&j=pm&af=1&fqf=ED

[avebury]

85. I went to Hawaii a few years ago and could not

help but notice the "tent cities" along some of the beach areas. I remember reading not long afterwards that the state was wanting to get people off of the beaches. Climate wise Hawaii is better then a lot of other states but the state might be concerned about how the tent cities might impact tourism? I don't know. The cost of living seemed to be pretty high.

[Niceguy1]

6. I wonder hoe many if them want

To leave but can't afford to? That might be the real problem. It isn't like you can hitchhike acroos the ocean.

[Marrah_G]

7. And I've heard it is expensive to live there too

I think it's a great idea IF the people want to leave.

[humbled_opinion]

34. In my experience I have never met a person

who wants to leave Hawaii, and if they somehow are forced to leave i.e., end of vacation, job etc, they always yearn to return.... I will be very interested to find out how many takers there are for this program my gut tells me very little....

[Marrah_G]

36. I'd like to visit, but not live there

I am a new England girl at heart and I would miss it terribly.

Maybe if those that are there that don't want to be can get home, then there would be more resources there for the ones who don't leave.

[uppityperson]

44. I know people who wanted to leave and did leave. Some miss being on the road system or being able

to see other places or their mainland family/friends. It happens.

[Butterbean]

77. My marine brother in law was desperate to leave after his time was up there.

He has no desire to go back.

[KamaAina]

82. Many kama'aina can't wait to get out

(kama'aina = "local person", literally "child of the land"; now you know )

Hawai'i has a serious "brain drain" problem. The first thing many promising graduates do is hop on a plane for college. Many never return. UH even has problems recruiting football players from Hawai'i's surprisingly large talent pool; most of the best players jump at scholarships from mainland schools.

Believe it or not, the most popular destination for locals is Vegas. Its economy is based on tourism much like Hawai'i's, so people with experience in the hospitality industry can get jobs fairly easily.

[DainBramaged]

8. Two sides to every coin

Side one;

Hawaii wants to send it's riff raff back to the mainland so the tourists won't be bothered, and reduce their hospital and social support budgets.


Side two;


Folks stuck because they lost their jobs or homes to the recession have a way to get back to the families who could help.


It depends on your outlook.


Or Hawaii could find a way to employee these folks and get them back to productive lives instead of just shipping them somewhere else.

[Hekate]

14. There's no jobs to speak of. A large chunk of my high school graduating class left.

The pineapple fields, cane fields, and their factories are closing or closed already. The tourist industry is the biggest thing going: waitress, busboy, room cleaner, desk clerk, hula dancer.

To get a job in the first place it helps a lot to have been born there and have relatives there.

[dkf]

57. Yes, families are tight here, many living in a multi-generational situation.

It is very hard to survive the high cost of housing without an excellent job or family assistance.

The kindest thing to do is to send a person back home to be with their family as even a normal job doesn't afford one a good housing situation.

[Hekate]

73. Thanks for understanding my POV....

I can't imagine being too cheery about permanent homelessness there or anywhere else, and if you are from the Mainland and ever think of seeing your people again, you'll never scrape together the means to do so without help. The state is not talking about shipping locals away. Apparently I didn't take a terribly popular POV for this thread, though.

[Cha]

24. Aloha, Dain.. Visitors aren't "bothered" by homeless people as

far as I can tell. They sleep on the beach at night and in the day there are many places to get free food. I hear people talking about it all the time.

This is only if they want to get back to the mainland. When I was here in the '90s for 6 years after the big hurricane.. and living in a tent on the beach near the end of my stay; this would have been a sweet deal for me to get to New York.

It will be interesting to see how many take advantage of it.

Tourism is the highest commodity in Hawai'i and Hawaiians and Locals are usually the priority to get the jobs. But, if people want to stay bad enough.. they will get creative and find their own way to make it work.

Some people I've talked to around here don't want jobs. they actually enjoy living outside and freedom from responsibility.

[sheshe2]

32. Oh Cha,

I remember you mentioning this to me. How long were you in a tent?

Was that when you came back to New York?

Mahalo for your insight.

[Cha]

37. I loved it she~!

For two months, after I had wrapped up my job, and before I flew to AZ first to visit my Dad for a month, and then to New York.. I had the last of my living on the beach, loving dayz.

It was great.. waking up and taking a swim in the Ocean.. a shower right there to wash off the salt water. Bathrooms with sinks for brushing teeth and whatev.

Cooking, after watching the sunset, on my propane burner stove.. yumm and it's making me nostalgic! Star gazing, reading by candle light.. Good memories.

mahalo to you, she, for being interested

[Hekate]

39. Oh Cha, I'm glad it was a good experience for you

Really glad.

[Cha]

41. It was, Hekate.. it was the

simple life on a beach at Salt Pond, Kaua'i.. back when it was less crowded and before all hell broke loose with 9/11.

Mahalo

[dkf]

58. Funny...l live here and don't like feeling all salty but you make it sound wonderful. :)

I'm glad you enjoyed your stay and have fond memories.

[Beacool]

79. In my experience, most of the homeless are not in that position due to losing a job.

My church has been feeding lunch to the homeless for many years (the town shelter offers them dinner). The majority of our "guests" (as we call them) can't function well in society and were already homeless when the economy was doing well. Most of them are either drug addicts, alcoholics or mentally ill. Some are a combination of all three.

Therefore, it's not easy to send these people home. Even even if they have family in the mainland, they may not want to help them out. They may have already given up on them. These are not the easiest people to have around.

The few that were homeless due to other circumstances, found a way out of their situation and we don't see them anymore.

[BlueJazz]

9. OK I'm a dumb ass 100,000.00/17,000.00 = $5.88

I know some fares are down but $5.88 for a ticket ??

[TeeYiYi]

13. Perhaps not all 17,000 will want a ticket...

I suspect that $100,000 might buy 2000 tickets per year at the "OneTimeOnlyDiscountRate of $50 per fare."

I lived in Hawaii in '79 and even then, there was a huge displaced/homeless/hippie population living on the beach. Almost 35 years later, I suspect the transient population may have increased exponentially.

Not advocating either way, but even as far back as 1979, there was an obvious mental health contingent among the so called 'free spirits' living on the beaches of Hawaii.

I truly believe that this offer will have a reasonable percentage of willing takers.

TYY

PS--->> I saw Bob Marley on Maui in 1979. Good times.

[starroute]

38. Where do you get this "discount rate"?

This isn't about the state offering people cheap airline tickets. It's about the state paying for the tickets outright. So for $100,000 they'd get -- what? -- maybe 200 or 250 tickets, at best?

[TeeYiYi]

40. One way tickets to and from Hawaii...

...can be had for $50-$150 each. I am guessing that a bulk rate government discount would guarantee $50-$100 per ticket.

Even at $100 per ticket, that would still be 1000 tickets.

TYY

[customerserviceguy]

42. I'm with you

The first thing I did was the math in my beer-addled head, then I checked it out with a calculator. No way can they get people off their islands for six bucks a pop.

[dipsydoodle]

46. I'm guessing they acknowledge there will be a low take up

and the figure accounts for that.

[Octafish]

64. Priority Mail if it fits in this box flat rate...

Don't blame the homeless in Hawaii for wanting to stay. I didn't want to leave the place, and I had a ticket.

[OmahaBlueDog]

11. "One-Way Airfare Back To The States"??

Last I saw, Hawaii is a state. Perhaps they mean "mainland"?

[TeeYiYi]

18. Perhaps they mean...

...the Continental United States. Or, the Lower 48 United States.

True, residents of Hawaii refer to it as the mainland.

TYY

[Ishoutandscream2]

50. Thanks, that bothered me, too

[Pterodactyl]

75. That's exactly my reaction.

[Hekate]

12. They got the idea from Mainland welfare agencies, who tried to send people to the Islands

You think this is a joke? It happened quite a few years back, but it really made the news in Hawai'i. The brilliant idea the Mainlanders had was apparently based on the idea that at least they wouldn't freeze to death. Quite the outcry ensued.

Housing is at a premium, jobs are at a premium. The Islands were crowded then and are more crowded now. It's no place to go to live if you don't have some prospects already.

Anyhow, if someone is stranded in the Islands, homeless, jobless, and actually has a home to go to -- why not? I'm sure there would be some takers -- you can't walk away from the Islands, and there is no Greyhound bus either.

[Cha]

25. Exactly. Aloha, Hekate.. So many are acting like Hawai'i doesn't care

about these people.. Ready to jump on it with out knowing all the facts.

Quite the opposite is true.

I posted this about my experience..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=554913

[Safetykitten]

15. Solid 21st century Democratic values at work. Poor? Ship em' out!

Sickening.

[dkf]

62. The Rep who is pushing this the hardest has donated his own money to help the homeless

http://www.angelgroup.org/articles/534-rep-john-mizuno-giving-hawaii-homeless-man-money-for-plane-ticket-to-calif

I've posted several stories below and how this can be seen as anything other than generous and caring I don't know.

[struggle4progress]

19. "Hey, kid! I'll give you six bucks to leave my state! Here!"

I wonder how far you can get across the Pacific on $6

[pinto]

26. Locally we used to call that Greyhound therapy. (nt)

[Lugal Zaggesi]

30. Hawaii should give them little pink slips with their airline tickets...

... make them feel like they've been fired from Hawaii, Inc.

It would be a nice corporate touch.

[lordsummerisle]

35. If I Were Going to be Homeless

then the Aloha state would be my first choice...

[ConcernedCanuk]

43. It appears not too many read the article in full

.
.
.

Note: from the OP's link . . .

But reservations, on a plane anyway, are exactly what any qualifying homeless person currently residing in Hawaii could soon have.

The voluntary program allows interested individuals who have people willing to support them back at home, who cannot afford to return on their own, and who are indigent to fly home on the state's dime.

(bolding is mine)___________________________________________________________________________________

Few important words in there:

QUALIFYING - not just any homeless person can just "get on the bus" so to speak.

VOLUNTARY - they ain't throwing no one out.

SUPPORT - "who have people willing to support them back at home"

lots more at link

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2381732/Hawaii-sets-aside-100-000-offer-17-000-homeless-people-way-airfare-home-states.html#ixzz2alhCJDLA

CC

[LTG]

45. Lots of misunderstandings on this thread

I've seen several articles on this, and talked story with friends and relatives in Honolulu.

First, the ones I've seen have said that the total homeless population in Hawaii is 17,000, that isn't the target number to send home. The budget for the program is $100,000 per year, with the hope, if successful, it will be renewed for a total of three years. They have no idea how many want to go home, and can show someone willing to provide them housing.

Also, many of my older friends and relatives there still occassionally refer to the mainland as "the states" but it is now much less common. Most of the ones that do were born in the '20s and '30s. Our neighbors, in Kapahulu, on the makai side built their house the same year as my grandfather, 1936. It is people like them that still, at least occassionally, use the term for the mainland.

Going back in September for a month. Family has been there since the late 1890s when my great grandparents arrived from Komamoto, Japan as indentured cane workers on the Kwailoa Plantation. The rest of the direct family after that are hauli.

[yurbud]

53. that's quite a bit different from the stateside "return to skid row" practice

[Sunlei]

47. not like some states that dump humans on the street out of jails, hospitals.

So 100 lucky homeless street people- have to prove they have a family who will take them in and then get a ticket home. This sounds like a humane program.

[kentauros]

48. Hasn't Hawaii ever heard of shipping containers?

Although, shipping containers would make great homeless shelters as they can be modified and set-up to house people quickly and cheaply. For example, look at how they're being re-purposed these days into prefab housing and hotels.

How many shipping containers can you buy for $100k? Probably less than that total cost, as you'd still need to modify and furnish them.

[former9thward]

56. And where are these shipping containers going to go?

On the beach? I believe Hawaii has housing and zoning codes just like everywhere else.

[kentauros]

69. I would suspect cities own parcels of land like any other city/municipality.

I'm guessing you've never seen what's being done with shipping containers as housing. Take a look:

http://inhabitat.com/shipping-container-homes-ease-uk-homeless-crisis/
http://www.gizmag.com/shipping-containers-combat-homelessness/25357/

And why would you think they'd end up on the beaches, or that a city/municipality can't change things to accommodate homeless shelters? And where in my post do I even suggest that they go on the beaches? Don't infer what isn't there, please.

[former9thward]

71. I was not inferring anything.

That why I asked the question. I don't think there is a lot of empty space on Hawaii but providing services like water, sewer and electricity would consume the 100k for some parcel of land without even buying one container.

[dkf]

59. Homeless family gets one way tickets to mainland

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A homeless family of three is getting a fresh start thanks to some anonymous donors and the efforts of a state lawmaker and a homeless advocacy group.

The family, which asked that their identities be kept secret, is getting free one-way airline tickets to Washington State. The woman and her daughter are from Washington State and once they fly home next week they will move in with her brother. He also has a construction job waiting for the man of the family.

The family has been living on Keaau Beach on the Waianae Coast for about a year.

"It's excellent because it's going to give us all an opportunity to do something different.

And I can probably get my butt back in school," the woman told Hawaii News Now.

"It's a win win for all of them. The family wins. We're reducing homelessness in Hawaii, and we're reunifying the family in Washington," said State Representative John Minzuno.

Mizuno and the non-profit group Help the Hawaii Homeless helped coordinate donations to purchase the airline tickets. They have now assisted in sending 12 homeless people back to their mainland roots. They only send people who have stable support waiting at the other end.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/15415514/homeless-family-gets-one-way-tickets-to-mainland

[ConcernedCanuk]

63. You didn't mention the most important part

.
.
.

This article is from almost 2 years ago

From the link:

Updated: Sep 08, 2011 12:57 AM EDT

/snip/

Mizuno believes the state should set up a fund and spend $50,000 to $100,000 a year providing one way tickets for homeless to leave Hawaii so they can be reunited with family elsewhere. He said it would save the state lots of money in the long-run because the state spends much more providing services for the homeless than the airline tickets cost.

Woytenko said the state spends an annual average of about $19,000 per homeless person providing services. The one-way tickets for the family of three cost less than $1,100 for all three.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

It appears Mizuno is a happy man today as the state went for the $100,000 as he advocated.

I suspect it took a lot of convincing and wrangling seeing as it took almost two years for his efforts to come to fruition.

Kudos to State Representative John Minzuno.



Imagine that - a State Representative that walks the walk for the poor and homeless.

Well done, Sir.



CC

[dkf]

65. Thank you for saying that.

I tear up when I read these stories. This is a great thing he is accomplishing.

[ConcernedCanuk]

67. More than Welcome

.
.
.

You might like this link

http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/Hawaii-Business/February-2008/Spin-Zone/

Appears he REALLY cares, has for a long time.

Hawaii is fortunate to have him.

CC

[dkf]

68. Yes we are.

[dkf]

60. Hawaii hairdresser buys ticket for homeless man to be with ailing father after plea fr Sen. Mizuno

HONOLULU – A Hawaii hairdresser is helping send a homeless man from Seattle back home to be with his ailing father. Denise Sakai answered a call from state Rep. John Mizuno for donations to send Gregory Reese to Washington state. Instead of just a partial donation, Sakai bought Reese a $299 ticket online for a flight Thursday to Seattle.

Sakai said she read about Reese in the paper and was touched that he just wanted to be with his dad.
Reese became homeless when two job offers here fell through. The 39-year-old said his father has lung cancer and cannot afford a ticket to bring him back.

Mizuno hopes to create a program to send more homeless from the mainland back home.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/01/hawaii-hairdresser-buys-ticket-homeless-man-fly-ailing-father-seattle/#ixzz2b2VFdJIm

[dkf]

61. Rep John Mizuno giving Hawaii homeless man money for plane ticket to Calif.

A Hawaii legislator is giving $100 to help fly a homeless man back to his wife in California.
Rep. John Mizuno, a Democrat representing Kalihi, donated his personal money to supplement the $274 cost for George Vonner's one-way ticket to Ontario, Calif.

Mizuno said Vonner could only afford $180 for the ticket.

Vonner, whose flight leaves Thursday, came to Hawaii seeking employment with the understanding he could live with his cousin.

But the housing arrangement fell through, and Vonner became homeless last month.

Mizuno is promoting legislative proposals to reunify the homeless with their families while reducing costs to taxpayers.

In July, he gave $100 to fly another homeless man home to Seattle.

http://www.angelgroup.org/articles/534-rep-john-mizuno-giving-hawaii-homeless-man-money-for-plane-ticket-to-calif

[olddad56]

66. great idea, maybe California can ship their homeless to Hawaii.

[ConcernedCanuk]

70. Why the snark?

.
.
.

How many homeless in CA have relatives in Hawaii do you think?

Hawaii has a population of 1.4 million

California has 38 million

I suspect percentage-wise,

or even number-wise that the number of Hawaiian's that are homeless in CA is close to zero.

CC

[mahina]

72. Been doing so for quite some time,

and they can't swim home.

[KamaAina]

83. As has Nevada.

Turnabout's fair play.

[mahina]

84. Hey Kama'aina

[moondust]

74. Next up: Texas and Florida?

I've wondered if some of these red states have been trying to make life miserable for their poor in hopes that some of them will pack up and move to a more hospitable state--all with the aim of cutting welfare recipients and lowering taxes. Wouldn't surprise me.

[darkangel218]

76. Probably FL.

[Turborama]

78. This, coming from The Daily hate Mail

Probably the most concentrated xenophobia, bigotry and racist fearmongering in any UK tabloid (The daily Express comes a close second).

I suggest that anyone who doesn't believe me read the comments below any article about homeless people, people claiming benefits or immigrants/immigration....

[ShawnRIN]

80. Good Idea

I found this article a little disturbing, the notion of a state transporting undesirable people from one place to another just so they don't have to deal with them. However, if the homeless have family that can take them in or some other support system back in the mainland and cant than this might not be such a bad idea. This could go far in unburdening social programs.

[truthisalie]

86. That is not going to fix anything

Shipping people like cattle to another state just so they can starve.