'WHAT A LOT OF TOSH'

Once again, the local newspaper does another front page story on the homeless in Hawaii.  Once again, the headline promises much but the story is lacking.

The Mayor of Honolulu detailed his 'new' plan to deal with the homeless situation.

The shocking news in this latest article is that it requires $30,000.00 per person to help 100 homeless get off the street.  $30,000.00...

Seems right odd to this old geezer that clever folks in local government and working for the local newspaper keep going back to the same sources for information on how to deal with and solve the problem of homelessness in Hawaii.

The cost of providing housing for the homeless is based on another study to come from US Vets, one of the non-profits local that tries to help get folks off the street.  US Vets and IHS, already receive public funds to deal with the problem of homelessness.  Both organizations have been in the business of providing help for the homeless for years.  Both do some good, they have some success,  BUT, they have yet to solve the problem of homelessness in Honolulu.  Can you imagine how much in public funds has already been spent with no solution to the problem found.

The good folks who toil in the fields of homelessness want us to believe that providing 'apartments' with no strings attached to, somehow is going to work better than what has in the past.  What ever happen to 'a room somewhere out of the cold night air', being a good beginning.  Do US Vets and IHS really want the good people of Hawaii to believe that providing 'apartments', fully furnished, to severely troubled folks is going to work.  Do you really believe that a severely mentally ill person, or some one with a severe alcohol or drug problem is going to be morally responsible in dealing with the responsibilities of maintaining an apartment?

Truth be told, so long as local government keeps going back to non-profits for answers, we are going to have continued problems with the problem of homelessness.  I can not believe that it requires so much money to provide help for so few folks.

I do not believe providing apartments with no conditions is going to solve the problem facing homeless folks.

Honolulu has to face the fact that past programmes dealing with mental illness and alcohol and drug abuse, that were cut when cash was tight has made the problem more severe.  There were very good programmes in place that worked.  Problems were solved.  People were helped.

There is a very high price to pay by society for the lack of social services to homeless people with mental illness and abuse problems.  Perhaps it is time to give back the monies to government programmes that worked in the past.  Non-profits, like IHS and US Vets, already get public monies to service their target groups.  They are no more successful in solving homelessness than anyone else.  Anyone can work the data to serve their agenda.  IHS and US Vets are monsters that need to be fed endless amounts of cash to stay in business.  Whatever success is had is not without continued failure to address the real issue of homelessness and how society deals with it.

If the mayor wants to make a difference, let him and the city council look for answers from different quarters and stop going to back to a well that is run dry.