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Daniel Yamane

Mr. Ryan Smith

English 11 Section 1

22 March 2021

Out on the Streets: Homeless in America

Introduction

Throughout the years, this country has battled homelessness on the frontlines of our

streets and back alleys. We have tried different tactics like using food banks, building homeless

shelters, adopting families, starting up federal aid, encouraging treatment, and more. After all

this effort put in, you would think that we would have solved much of the problem by now.

According to the Lt. Governor of Hawaii’s website, there are “estimated to be around 15,000

homeless individuals in Hawaii.” So, that means for every 20 people in Hawaii, one is homeless

and struggling to make ends meet. Can you honestly say that the problem has been dealt with?

Homelessness is defined as the state of having no home. The homeless struggle with

things we take for granted every day. This includes purchasing food, keeping a roof over their

head, having access to medical attention and other necessary parts of life. Despite the simple

definition, the causes of homeless are many. Some may argue that the government’s ignorance

of affordable housing is to blame. Others can pin it on insufficient pay in the workforce, or bad

decisions on the individual’s part. The cause of homelessness is shrouded in controversy,

partnered with the discussion of how to solve it. For years, people and governments have

devised different plans to approach homelessness.

Is the homeless crisis in Hawaii being handled effectively? I do not believe so. There

need to be solutions that tackle both the needs of the homeless and the cause of the problem.
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Although the state has done a variety of things to deal with the homeless crisis, the root of the

issue has not been solved; we should be providing affordable housing, giving out basic needs,

stopping homeless sweeps, and informing the public.

The Problem

First, we need to acknowledge exactly what homelessness is in order to solve it. There is

debate on how to correctly address the homeless crisis, as it is such a massive problem in

American society. At least in America, homelessness is when someone is living without a house

or home. A good example of this is from the DW Documentary on homelessness, where you see

someone sleeping on the streets with a tent and some other belongings. These people struggle to

attain what they need to survive, forcing them to fulfill everyday tasks without jobs, money, or

help. This is a problem because the people suffering due to homelessness are in definite need of

aid. In addition, many homeless struggles with mental illness, PTSD, drug addiction, and other

conditions. Having these conditions may hamper opportunities for them to hold a stable job,

often eliminating a possible source of income. Some may disagree, proposing that there are

many homeless people who do have jobs and do not suffer from an underlying condition. While

that is true, the problem is that there is a large number of homeless people suffering from illness,

which can play a role in homelessness and its continuation.

Secondly, we must note that homelessness is caused by a wide range of conditions,

actions, and a lack thereof. For example, Hawaii has a high rate of homelessness mostly due to

the lack of affordable housing, a higher cost of living, and poor pay. Elvis, a man who helps

homeless people in Los Angelos, stated a similar viewpoint in the DW Documentary. Elvis

explains that “there’s no regulation, so in apartment owners and landlords can raise the money,

you know, the rent whenever they like. But nobody’s paychecks are getting bigger” [sic]. Some
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additional reasons homelessness exists include a lack of available jobs, medical costs, drugs,

alcohol, loss of government aid, partial or no education, and missing payments. Despite the

common belief that homelessness is caused by the person’s choices, many homeless are forced

into it even after doing all they can. Eric, a San Diego resident interviewed in the DW

Documentary, explains how the people he is surrounded with break the stereotypes on

homelessness: “Most of them are very hard-working people that want to get ahead that and either

have some some health issues or have some had a streak of bad luck” [sic]. In many cases, it is

not bad decisions alone that result in homelessness, but rather the fact that the society we live in

does not distribute wealth equally.

Thirdly, if we want to be able to solve homelessness, we must understand how

widespread the problem really is. In a The New York Times article by Adam Nagourney, it was

reported that Hawaii had the highest per capita homeless population in the nation. In short, this

means that Hawaii had the most homeless people in comparison to the state’s overall population.

The vast numbers of homeless on our streets is only another reason why solving this problem is

so cornerstone. It also indicates that what we are doing in Hawaii to curb homelessness is either

not working or not sufficient. Especially since Hawaii is not the only state with large numbers of

homeless. Some may point out that the number of homeless people in Hawaii is not a lot, and

that the number is understandable. However, you must consider that surveying all the homeless

people in a state is nearly impossible and that the counts will be inaccurate and miss some

people.

Lastly, we need to take note of how homelessness affects ourselves and why it is

important. People that are currently homeless struggle the most due to the problem, as they are

the ones out there trying to survive without basic needs. Homelessness is seen by many as a
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nuisance, as encampments and other structures impede on public land. The state also must deal

with the homeless crisis, whether that means picking up after them, removing them from certain

areas, or fixing what is vandalized. For example, according to a Honolulu Star Advertiser article

by Dan Nakaso, Kakaako Waterfront Park had homeless living there and that “they have been

tapping into the electrical outlets there in the park.” This not only costs the city a lot of money to

repair damages, but it puts the public in danger of being electrocuted. Especially in Hawaii,

where our travel industry is held in high regard, homelessness is a problem residents and visitors

would rather not see. Actions, initiatives, programs, and repairs cost money, which in turn may

affect our taxes and government spending. Some may argue that homelessness does not affect

them much, and that it is not a problem worth addressing as a priority to fix. Although that may

seem true, the fact that people are suffering in general should be enough empowerment to act.

Previous Efforts

Reviewing efforts to address homelessness, we come across some actions that do not help

solve the problem. In Hawaii, the government had funded sweeps and cleanups to rid certain

areas of homeless encampments. In Nagourney’s The New York Times article, Governor David

Ige said, “If you are just enforcing and moving people from location to location you are not

really reducing or solving the problem.” The sweeps and cleanups were just part of many laws

to further restrict where homeless could stay and seek rest. A problem with this approach is that

moving homeless people around is not at all helping them in their situation. Forcing them to

pick up their belongings and move away is not providing for them in any way. Cleanups are not

helping either, as they forcefully take homeless people’s belongings that they may need to

survive. Both actions not only prolong the problem and move it elsewhere, but it makes it

unnecessarily harder for these people to live too. One may argue that these sweeps and cleanups
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are necessary, and that the homeless people should not occupy parks, sidewalks, and other public

spaces to begin with. Although that is true according to some state laws, it does not excuse the

poor treatment of those who are struggling to make end meet. We ought to be spending

government money on helping these people and reducing the problem, rather than moving the

problem around and letting it grow.

Providing a valuable need for homeless people can support the ends to the crisis. There

are efforts made against homelessness that are useful and do work to save lives. For example,

Lloyd Pendleton conducted a pilot in Utah where his group took in 17 of the most chronically

homeless people they could find and provided them housing and help. 22 months later, all 17 of

those who were given housing were still there, proving that people will react well to appropriate

care. Pendleton reports, “We became believers, and built hundreds of units over those next 10

years, leading to the reduction of our statewide chronic homeless population of 91 percent.”

Looking at Pendleton’s project, we can see that helping the homeless in just a few ways can

make a lasting difference. In this sense, providing homeless people with what they need to

survive is a viable avenue for saving lives and ending homelessness for good. Despite that, some

can argue that providing needs does not help get rid of the over-arching problem of

homelessness. However, you cannot solve the problem of homelessness without first reaching

out to the people afflicted. Solving homelessness cannot be looked at as just “solving a

problem,” but rather helping those who cannot help themselves. If the first thing these people

are lacking is food, water, shelter, or other needs, then they need to be given that in order to get

back on their feet.

The Solutions
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A good way to help solve homelessness is to provide what these people need the most.

Especially in Hawaii, the lack of affordable housing is often credited to causing the homeless

crisis. Shelter can provide protection from the elements, which is vastly more beneficial to the

person’s health than being outside and exposed. If the need for housing was ended, people could

spend more of their money on things like food, water, medical care, etc. Housing has also shown

to provide other benefits, like feelings of security and permanence for the owner. People,

governments, and organizations can help fund affordable housing projects that would give many

struggling people one less thing to worry about. The government could divert more money

toward these programs and perhaps tax people a little more. Some may be convinced that our

taxes do not amount to anything important and raising it would not help the homeless. However,

the government’s revenue is sourced from taxes and a slight tax raise could benefit many

homeless people if the money went to those programs. Providing housing is just one need the

homeless require, but it is a good start to helping them get back on their feet.

Another great way of solving the problem of homelessness is to provide services. The

homeless need more services than we may often think. For example, as stated in the Lt.

Governor of Hawaii’s website, “Chronically homeless individuals are most of the highest

Medicaid utilizers in the state.” This need of Medicaid often equates to the need for medical

examination, dental care, and other services Medicaid can help people afford. If more services

like Medicaid were provided, especially for just homeless people, there would be a great number

of healthier people. Not just assistance programs, but free examinations and the waiving other

fees for services would mean a breath of relief. Some may think that providing services to the

struggling would not make a difference. Perhaps, they should consider how fortunate we are not

to need to choose between going to the doctors and getting food.

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I think the solution I plan to implement would be a great start to ending homelessness and

its troubles. My solution involves fundraising and giving out portable solar power banks to the

homeless so they can generate their own energy. Eyerich-Garg points out in a research paper

that for a study conducted on homeless people, “a substantial proportion of the sample reported

having a mobile phone (44%), debunking common homeless stereotypes.” In short, there are

more homeless people out there with a mobile phone than we think. Having these portable solar

power banks would prove helpful to those who need a source of power and do not own proper

housing. One reason for this solution is that it gives the homeless an endless and free supply of

power. Another reason is that because they have a source of power for themselves, they would

not need to vandalize streetlights and other city property to access it. You might be wondering

how exactly this solution would help rid the state of our homeless crisis. I will explain in the

next paragraph exactly how it would solve the problem and its negative aspects.

My solution will do its part to solve the homeless crisis. Having a mobile phone and the

power to charge it proves to be very important to health and well-being. According to Eyrich-

Garg's study, “Those who perceive themselves as having greater access to their social support

networks have better physical and mental health outcomes as well as lower rates of

victimization.” Having a mobile phone means you have access to communication with loved

ones. It also means being able to call 911 when you are in an emergency and to request help

from social services. The possibility of searching for jobs and applying for one is opened when

you have access to the internet. Providing a constant power supply for this important part of

homeless life can mean the difference between worry and safety. Some may still think this

action will not stop homelessness in its tracks. However, as I mentioned earlier, homelessness is

not a problem we can solve with merely one solution. It will take a great number of different
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plans to end this crisis. Despite that, the most effective action we can take would be to aid the

people affected, thus helping them get back on their feet.