Even though Governor David Ige declared a state of emergency in Hawaii to deal with homelessness in 2015, 51 out of every 10,000 Hawaiians are still homeless today. On an island chain that thrives off tourists, it is understandable to know that state funding is going toward the tourism industry and not low-income housing projects. The matter is, however, that “Hawaii is the worst state for per capita homelessness in the country, and ties with California for the second-highest percentage of unsheltered homeless youths”. A study done on the island of Oahu showed that youth homelessness starts as early as the age of 14 with more than half the interviewees having parents with substance abuse problems or parents who are incarcerated.

The article I was reading about Hawaii reminded me of a privilege that many of us have in the continental U.S. If we aren’t happy where we are located, most of us can easily get up and move to a new location by car, plane, or train. Traveling expenses through the United States do not amount to too much. Hawaii has a different story, however. The youth that find themselves homeless may have family members on the mainland but no means to pay the $500 plane ticket to resituate themselves. Instead, they are left to make ends meet on an island with an incredible cost of living. This leads to these homeless youth to engage in “survival sex” and carrying out other acts in exchange for food, shelter, or money.

While Hawaii’s government has announced plans to make homelessness a priority in 2018, I’m left wondering how anyone is supposed to survive in Hawaii when the cost of living is so high and most of the focus is on the tourism industry. I often vacation in Hawaii and will be viewing their situation a little differently the next time I go.

http://www.newsweek.com/youth-homelessness-age-hawaii-802825