Thursday, September 07, 2006

HOW DOES HAWAI`I TREAT HAWAIIANS ?

Despite a strong state economy, the homeless rate in Hawai`i has nearly doubled over the past four years, and the majority of the new homeless are native Hawaiians and those with some Hawaiian ancestry.

From fabled Waikiki Beach, one of the places where the homeless congregate on O`ahu, to the neighboring islands that conjure the image of paradise to planeloads of tourists who arrive daily, there is increasing tension between the thousands of homeless people, their advocates, and state, city, and county governments.

Hawaiians represent only about 23 percent of the state's population, but the state survey suggested they make up 37 percent of the state's homeless population.