According to the US Census Bureau, in 2005 9.0% of Hawaii residents, or roughly 115,000 citizens lived beneath the federal poverty line. That's strange to think about--in a state so choked with dollars and fat, 115,000 citizens struggle to pay their bills and fill their bellies. There are more people below the poverty line in the Hawaiian Islands then even live in the Virgin Islands.
Still, poverty is nothing new to Hawaii. In the cane times, poor Asian peasants, hoping to make a better life, steamed over the pacific to cut sugar. The native Hawaiians lived a mainly subsistence lifestyle before contact and in the 1930s Hawaii residents felt the pinch as the great depression ravaged the mainland United States.
In more recent times, efforts led by both the state government as well as the federal government have fought against poverty. American president Lyndon B. Johnson introduced the 'great society' program in 1965 as a sort of shotgun approach to eliminating poverty through education, healthcare, and urban renewal. The minimum wage, starting in 1938, forced the state of Hawaii to provide a 'living wage' for unskilled laborers.
State measures have lagged behind federal ones, with no comprehensive anti-poverty programs being created. State agencies like the department for human services have fought poverty with methods similar to the great society, offering programs to help the poor get out of poverty. Much work in Hawaii, however, has been done by private organizations, often with religious ties. The Institute for Human Services, a group founded by Father Claude de Teil, attempts to provide food, shelter, and education for both the homeless and non-homeless poor alike. Such efforts, while helpful, are still not enough to tackle the poverty problem in Hawaii. Programs need to be better funded and to attack the factors that cause poverty.
Today, many different factors in Hawaii create a society where poverty is an ingrained fact of life. A housing market where the median price for a home is $665,000 [3] insures many Hawaii residents struggle to make ends meet. High costs for other essentials, such as gas, milk, electricity, and medical care also push many in Hawaii to poverty.
But high prices aren't the only factor. Drug use, notably of crystal meth, remains a factor for some of the impoverished of Hawaii while historic discrimination helps contribute to the poverty of certain peoples such as Native Hawaiians. Poor education can limit jobs for some, and simple bad luck can hurt others.
In all, there's no one factor that Hawaiian poverty can be pegged on. No Hawaiian that lives in the red will tell you the exact same story. Maybe Kimo broke his leg, or the cash went belly up along with the cane. It's all different: the causes, causes, the solutions, the stories. All as diverse as the state itself.
Poverty Situation In Hawaii (Question 2):
In the words of Mika Dewitz, "There isn't any poverty in Hawaii, right? Isn't that impossible?" Well, dearest Mika, poverty is most certainly an issue in Hawaiian society. Hawaii's high real estate prices and expensive cost of living means that not all will be able to survive financially. Currently, Hawaii's unemployment rate is at a good level: 2.6% according to the Hawaii Department of Labor. However, even if one has a job, it does not insure they will be financially stable. According to the Economic Research Department of the USDA, Hawaii's current poverty rate is around 9%. This is relatively lower compared to the year before, however, this percentage is still evidence of the unfortunate situation regarding poverty that Hawaii continues to fight. Our economy in Hawaii is very successful, yet, this does not mean that everyone reaps in the benefits.
Many programs statewide have been established to help the poverty level, including the new proposal for housing the homeless in moth-ball fleet ships. The members who would live on the ship would mostly be singles and would recieve job training on the ship itself. According to the New York Times, in areas such as Waianae, up to one thousand people are living on the beaches in tents. According to the article, rent prices in Waianae that rented for $200 or $300 a month a couple years ago are now advertised for more than $1,000.
Waianae is one of the least expensive real estate markets on the island, so if it is hard for one to afford housing there, it might be impossible for the person to find a house at all. The government is trying to make more programs for the homeless so that more housing is avaliable, but there are simply to many people to accomadate. Examples include the conversion of a 1940's military bunker in Kalaeloa into a shelter so that thirty families could use the space to live. Actions are occuring to help the current situaiton, but with the limited land on Oahu, and limited funds from the state, it is hard to solve the problem completely.Local Solution (Question 3 and 4)
Local Solution:
According to www.alternative-hawaii.com, a study conducted in 2006 indicates that "to maintain a standard of living similar to a comparable family earning $72,000 in the continental United States, a family of 4 renting accommodations in Honolulu needs to earn $111,695 or 55% more income." And, though the star bulletin has stated that at $58,402, Hawaii has the 4th highest average income in the United States (16 percent above the national average), 9.8 percent of Hawaii's population still remain below the poverty line. This can mainly be attributed to the high cost of housing in Hawaii, which was ranked as the 10th most expensive housing market in the nation. The estimated 116,000 uninsured residents only aggrevate the matter.
So what can be done to eradicate poverty locally?The .9 percent decline of the rate of people living in poverty since 2000 indicate that Hawaii is on the right track. Giving less fortunate families tax exemptions can help families overcome poverty and as is stated in the cbpp website, "Hawaii’s “tax threshold” (the income level at which families begin owing taxes) for tax year 2005 is $11,500 for a two-parent family of four and $9,800 for a single-parent family of three. These thresholds are the 4th- lowest and 3rd-lowest in the nation, respectively. Such taxes can make a big difference to a family struggling to escape poverty." The 26.2 percent increase in median household income from 2000 to 2005 has also helped to decrease poverty in Hawaii, as has Federal assistance via programs such as the Quest program, which provides medicare and health insurance to those deemed finacially eligable (to see if you qualify visit http://www.med-quest.us/eligibility/EligPrograms_ACE.html). Working to combat poverty, the state of Hawaii, with the state Human Services Department as its agent, has implemented several programs, one of them being The Bridge to Hope, which offers 'low income individuals' the chance to pursue their education in the belief that with a degree they may have higher paying employment opportunities. As for the housing predicament, there have been recent plans drafted by the state, to provide housing as well as low interest loans for those who are able to prove their eligability, whether it be low income, homelessness, or mental/physical handicapps (for qualifications visit http://www.hcdch.hawaii.gov/news/index.htm). All of these developments, simultaneously applied, are expected to lower the level of poverty in Hawaii further still.
5 comments:
It appears that current legislation for low income families has been working. Apparently, the tax exemption thresholds do the most in terms of preserving income for those at the brink of poverty. However, I believe continued economic growth and hopefully an increase in the median income without inflation would be the best thing for those in poverty. The tax exemptions are also critical for giving them a leg up. Spending money on finite shelters such as ships does not seem to be combating the actual problem.
Alexa Untermann-
So you say that we should donate to different organizations to help the poor. And most of these organizations probably give the money to the needy. But shouldn't we give food, clothes, and other necessities instead of money? Because how do we know the money is not going to alcohol or drugs? Especially nationally and locally, I think that the altruistic person has a fifty-fifty chance their money will go to really HELP the poor. I know that here and there, when I'm in big cities with many homeless, I give a dollar or two. But this is hard to know who to give my money to. Some homeless might have legitimate reasons for ending up on the street, like a loss of job, etc. But some homeless also could've become homeless because of drug or alcohol abuse. Children are different because the majority of the time, you know it's not going to something damaging, like drugs. Globally, it's easier for me to give to the poor because I know they really NEED and DESERVE it and I know my money is most likely going to a good cause.
There are a lot of organizations in Hawaii that help the homeless and the needy, and I think they do a really good job of keeping these people relatively safe and they do as much as non-profit organizations can do. Though they are helping the situation, I don't think they can do that much to actually get rid of the problem. That all rests on the economy, and right now I believe we have the resources to get a few people out of poverty. If the government could install solar panels on homes poor people wouldnt have to pay electric bills, and if there were rain cachment systems they wouldnt have to pay for water. Although these ideas are probably not realistic, they are worth thinking about.
-Alana
I agree with Alexa, what we really should be donating are basic living necessities such as clothing and food because there is no way for us to know if they will use the money they receive for drug purposes. At first glance, Hawaii seems to be pretty accommodating for the homeless and poverty stricken. With all of our aid to them it should be pretty easy to predict that our homeless and poverty rates would be low, but when we actually look around on beaches and homeless shelters that statement isn’t true. I think the biggest thing we can do for them is giving direct need and counseling for job etiquette etc.
-kelly
THIS IS CADY CHING
I think it is an excellent idea to raise the tax threshold for low income people. If the state were to approach this idea they would have to make up for the loss revenues by increasing the taxes on the wealthy.
The government could give tax breaks to those developers who agree to create an incentive for developers to build low income housing.
THIS IS CADY CHING
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