Laurel Mackie, a Canadian visitor who has come to Waikiki for the past 28 years, shares the growing concern that the homeless population in Waikiki is getting out of hand. Mackie stated, "I look out of my balcony and I see people passed out. And, worse yet, I have friends that have been physically assaulted by the homeless. With safety concerns and the fact that Waikiki is becoming an overpriced Beverly Hills slum of the Pacific, it seems a no-brainer to think about choosing another destination."
Tourists and visitor industry officials have come to an agreement that the rise in chronic homelessness in Waikiki has grown tremendously in the past few years ad are calling on the state and city to take immediate action to this crisis. State Senator Brickwood Galuteria, who represents Waikiki, agrees, and commented, "I consider homeless to be a natural disaster situation not unlike a tsunami of sorts, and the tone of the response should be equal to that."
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, between 2007 and 2014, the number of chronic homelessness in Hawaii grew by 32.5 percent. Tourism officials are concerned that the state's $15 billion visitor industry will suffer as more and more visitors complain about their encounters with the homeless whom the meet in Waikiki.
Tourism officials say they are worried about the impact on the state's $15 billion visitor industry as more and more visitors publicly complain about encounters with homeless people throughout Waikiki. George Szigeti, the president and CEO of the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association, added, "We don't like homeless challenges anywhere, but the visitor industry supports 175,000 jobs across the state and Waikiki is the economic engine that drives that train. We spend millions marketing the state to get tourists to come here. We have to protect their experience. If we don't, everybody loses because the negative economic impacts will spread."
Jesse Broder Van Dyke, spokesman for Honolulu Mayor Caldwell, stated, "Complaints about homelessness in general and in Waikiki are received daily via mail, email, phone and in person. As media attention to the issue has increased, so has public outcry. Public awareness and understanding of the issue (are) essential to justifying the expense of making progress." Van Dyke added that the Caldwell administration is proposing to spend $18.9 million for the Housing First project and $3 million for support services. However, the Honolulu City Council will have to approve the allocation of these funds.
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 4-20-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com
