Honolulu Hawaii

(EMAILWIRE.COM, December 04, 2006 ) Honolulu, HI - Hawaii has always been a popular place due to its reputation for being a paradise on earth. It is a wonderland of lush vegetation, magnificent white sand beaches and picturesque mountains vistas. Blessed with a perfect climate and an abundance of recreational and cultural activities, it is a dream destination for many. Sadly, living in Hawaii does not guarantee paradise for all. Homelessness in Hawaii, a major social problem that has always been a part of life on the island for a small segment of the population, has in the last few years grown to such an extent that it has become national news. Surprisingly, Hawaii’s wide real estate popularity is a contributing factor to this troubling dilemma. Homelessness, which has been a decades old problem along the beaches of the economically strapped Waianae Coast of Oahu, has in the last few years, grown out of control. The demand for services is so great that groups, such as the Waianae Community Outreach and the Honolulu Community Action Program, are having a difficult time keeping pace as the ranks of the homeless in Hawaii have surged over the past year. It is estimated that statewide, at any given time, there are approximately 12,000 to 15,000 people without a home. The old stereotype of a homeless person being a young, single, unemployed male is not a true refection of Hawaii’s homeless population today. One-third of Hawaii’s homeless are under the age of sixteen and, even more shocking, an estimated 17- 42% of Hawaii’s homeless are employed full-time. Clearly there is something wrong with this picture. Normally, working people have homes.Hawaii is at the end of a tremendous real estate boom, and for years the housing market was red hot. The effects of this over-heated housing market trend can be seen along the Waianae Coast of Oahu where the average monthly Oahu homes’ rent jumped 90% over the past few years! Landlords, watching the median price of condos and homes skyrocketing, with average increases of around 200% between 2001 and 2005, rushed to sell their rental properties to cash in on this bonanza; thus, dramatically reducing the stock of available affordable rental accommodations.Hawaii’s real estate boom may be over according to Honolulu Hawaii real estate expert, Tony Kawaguchi of Remax 808 Realty (http://www.alohatony.com). Currently, housing market statistics indicate that home sales are down significantly in some areas. However, even though prices may have softened slightly, the average median price for a single-family home on the isle of Oahu is still around $660k. With the astronomical price of housing in Hawaii, the dream of home ownership is out of reach for Hawaii’s working poor.With sky-high home prices and a diminishing number of affordable rental units, people have limited alternatives. Rising prices have pushed a number of low-income renters out the door and onto the beach. Along a 16-mile stretch of the Waianae Coast, lives a tent city that has been compared to a third world village. It has become home to men, women and children, most just ordinary people that have been displaced due to a lack of affordable housing. The Waianae Coast poverty problem reached a crisis this past March when officials cleared hundreds of homeless people from a city beach park. A dockside warehouse was converted to provide temporary shelter.To their credit, social service organizations, church groups and ordinary citizens are pitching in to help the Waianae homeless by providing food, training, shelter and counseling. The demand for services is so great these groups are having trouble just keeping up. When asked what the government can do to solve the homeless crisis, the over-whelming answer from the people along the Waianae Coast was, “do something about the high cost of rent.” Addressing the matter head-on, Governor Linda Lingle has proposed a package to the state legislature that would boost state funding dedicated to developing more affordable housing. Along with other changes, her package advocates eliminating the cap on the current rent supplement program. Of course, this is only the start. There is much more that needs to be done to overcome the problems that have resulted from the high price of real estate and get Honolulu’s working poor off the beaches and into affordable housing. Tony Kawaguchi of Remax 808 Realty has been helping individuals and families with their real estate needs since 1999. By focusing on people’s needs and not just a commission check, he has become the highest office producer for multiple years. For more information Honolulu and Oahu homes, or if you are in need of selling Hawaii real estate, please visit http://www.alohatony.com or call (808) 395-5776.Disribution by http://www.first-page-seo.com and http://prnn.com.

PRNN
Kevin Dill

kevin@appliedinternetresearch.com