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Hawaii’s World
Poverty in Hawaii
PART I | II | III of three
is understatedWHAT I'm told is the best overview of "Poverty in Hawaii" is a report prepared in 1997 by James T. Koshiba for the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Hawaii Justice Foundation.
It contends federal figures substantially understate our prevalence of poverty because our cost of living is, on average, 30 to 40 percent higher than on the mainland -- yet the federal poverty line does not adjust for it. As a result many needy families here may not be judged poor enough to qualify for federal assistance. State and private awards make some effort to compensate.
The poverty burden here, Koshiba says, is harshest on children and single mothers. Their condition often is aggravated by domestic abuse.
One child in eight was adjudged poor compared to only one adult in 19 between ages 55 and 64. A household headed by a single mother is more than five times as likely to be poor as one headed by a single father.
Single mothers, especially those with children under age 6, "clearly merit special attention," Koshiba wrote. The 1990 census found 29,000 single mothers in Hawaii, one-third of them poor.
Elderly persons are somewhat less likely to be poor (thanks to Social Security and Medicare) but their numbers are increasing as our overall population ages. Health-care costs are their primary cause of poverty. Persons over 75 are more likely to be poor than the younger elderly, women more than men.
Elderly worry most about their independence. "I don't want to be a burden on my children," is an often-heard comment.
Homeless people without roofs over their heads were estimated in 1992 to total 5,000 or only about one-half of 1 percent of the resident population. However, many times that number were living temporarily with friends or relatives to keep from living on the streets.
Factors contributing to homelessness are mental health problems, family dissolution, and drug and alcohol abuse. These are aggravated by the economy and housing costs.
Homeless list their greatest needs as dental care, transportation and job training, followed by health care, clothing and securing a mailbox.
THEY have an overwhelming concern about being victims of violent crime and being subjected to "bad influences" on the street such as exposure to people with mental health problems, substance abuse problems and criminal tendencies.
Congregate shelters are not much relief from this. Most wanted is a place -- however modest -- to retreat where one can feel secure. Koshiba comments: "Trying to improve the lives of our homeless without providing a home is like trying to build a castle on a foundation of quicksand."
There is little evidence of people wanting to get a free ride by being poor. Even families with one or more employed persons may be poor. The shift from a plantation economy to one reliant on visitor industries is a significant factor. So are outsourcing of operations overseas, business downsizings, and an increased incidence of part-time work.
Koshiba charts a sharp drop in real benefits paid to Hawaii welfare recipients since the 1970s through failing to keep up with inflation. The overall picture is worsened by our very modest job growth in the 1990s and average wages falling.
My first two articles in this series suggested Hawaii is doing better than most places in caring for its poor and homeless. The Koshiba report tells us there is much more to do.
A.A. Smyser is the contributing editor
and former editor of the the Star-Bulletin
His column runs Tuesday and Thursday.
