Hawaii ranks third nationally
in aid to homeless kids

A national report ranks Hawaii third in the nation for taking care of homeless children. The National Center on Family Homelessness report, America’s Youngest Outcasts, released in March, includes overall state rankings in four areas: child homelessness per capita, child well-being, risk of child homelessness and state policy and planning. Connecticut ranked at the top of the list while Texas was at the bottom.

"We have come a long way in a short few years in recognizing the problem and doing something about it," said Utu Langi, director of the Next Step Shelter, who attributed Hawaii's ranking to Gov. Linda Lingle's initiatives to reduce homelessness. Of the 160 people at the Next Step Shelter in Kakaako, 30 are children. Most of the children are between ages 7 and 12.

Langi said more needs to be done to ensure children have nutritious meals and continue their studies. Education is the key to breaking the cycle of homelessness. "We have a long way to go, but I'm pretty optimistic of the future with homeless services for families," he added.

Hawaii was one of 24 states that received an "inadequate" grade, however, for planning and policy based on data collected in 2005-2006. Dr. Ellen Bassuk, president of the National Center on Family Homelessness and a psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School, said many states fell short in regard to policy and planning. Only six were praised for "extensive" planning.

In 2006, Governor Linda Lingle signed an emergency proclamation to address the growing homeless problem that included construction of Next Step and five shelters on the Leeward Coast that have since opened (see story in this issue of AGENDA). Since the inception of Next Step, 45 percent of the 1,000 people served found permanent homes.

The report estimates that nationwide 1.5 million children experienced homelessness at least once in 2005-2006, and says the problem is surely worse now because of the foreclosures and job losses of the deepening recession. Ending homelessness for all U.S. children within a decade is possible despite the recession, said the report, which Bassuk's center issued to launch a campaign pursuing that goal.