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Family Affair
Hawaii has the highest percentage
of multigenerational homes in
the nation, which might signal
a rise in "hidden homeless"
For the Shiromas, staying out of the house makes living in it together more bearable. "We're all very active," said Loree Shiroma with a laugh. "The only time we're really home is at dinner."
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That's 10 people -- and three generations -- in a small four-bedroom Kaimuki home.
Somehow, Shiroma said, "it works out well."
More and more in the islands, adult children are choosing to stay at home longer -- or returning with their families after leaving -- in large part because the high cost of housing keeps them out of homeownership or demands too many compromises, like living in a more affordable area of the island that is farther from downtown, experts say.
The most recent U.S. Census figures available, collected in 2000, put Hawaii at the top of the nation for multigenerational households, with about 8.2 percent of residents living in homes with three or more generations compared with the national average of 5.2 percent.
The state's 2003 Hawaii Policy Study, meanwhile, showed that the percentage of multigenerational homes is higher in Kaneohe and the North Shore, where 10.8 percent of homes had three or more generations, and Leeward Oahu, where about 9.6 percent of households were multigenerational.
Cultural values and other factors play a role in the high per-capita percentage of "ohana homes" in the islands. But researchers say the Hawaii numbers are closely linked to the high cost of housing in the state and that they are likely to have increased with the recent tightening of the market.
"Until more housing comes online, there's going to be a delay of children leaving the nest," said University of Hawaii financial educator Ron Wall. "They really don't have anywhere to go."
The Shiroma family, with six kids ages 7 to 18, sold a home in Pearl City seven years ago to move to Kaimuki. They were unable to afford to buy in town, but they could not stand the commute any longer.
Shiroma, a clinical study coordinator at the University of Hawaii, said she is content paying $500 monthly rent, plus utilities, to her mother-in-law, who owns the home.
And in today's market, even with their savings, they are still short of being able to afford a home big enough -- and convenient enough -- for them all.
Meanwhile, social service counselors say, there is a more troubling side to multigenerational housing: The trend could signal a boost in the population of Hawaii's "hidden homeless" -- low- to moderate-income earners who stay with relatives because they do not make enough money to afford rent or a mortgage.
State estimates put the number of "hidden homeless" in the islands at about 228,000 in 2003, about one-sixth of the state's population. That number has more than doubled since 1992, when about 90,500 Hawaii residents were believed to be in the category.
Loree and Sherice Shiroma, working in the kitchen, are two of 10 who live in a small four-bedroom Kaimuki home. Hawaii leads the nation in multigenerational households, with about 8.2 percent of residents living in homes with three or more generations compared with the national average of 5.2 percent.
"We're having a hard time to find housing for them," she said. "These are the working homeless. I feel for them. It's not like they're not doing anything."
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"It seems like every job we're doing has accommodations for multigenerational living. A lot of times, people are adding a second story where the younger generation will live."
Jim Byxbee President of Homeworks Construction Inc.
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"I don't think they could afford to live on their own," said Duarte of her grandchildren, all in their 20s. "What they make is just enough to survive."
Some of her grandchildren grew up in Duarte's sprawling Kahaluu home, left and then returned. Others came from other parts of the state as adults.
In all, Duarte's six-bedroom house holds 10: her and her husband, a daughter in her 40s, a 25-year-old grandson and his wife and baby, a 21-year-old granddaughter and her boyfriend, a 28-year-old grandson and a 2-year-old great-grandson, whose mother is on the mainland.
Twenty years ago, Duarte built an addition onto her house, adding bedrooms and a second kitchen, to accommodate her growing extended family.
Today, many Hawaii residents are doing the same -- another sign multigenerational homes are on the rise.
"It seems like every job we're doing has accommodations for multigenerational living," said Jim Byxbee, president of Homeworks Construction Inc. "A lot of times, people are adding a second story where the younger generation will live."
Graham Builders Inc., which has traditionally focused on constructing new homes, has expanded its remodeling arm to meet requests for home additions, second stories and mother-in-law cottages, which now make nearly half of the company's business, said marketing manager Dave McKenna.
"The fact is that the kids, if they're going to go out and buy a house, they're going to spend a half a million dollars," he said. "This way, they pool their funds, and mom and dad have someone to take care of them."
The 'hidden homeless'
The "hidden homeless" are low- to moderate-income earners who live with relatives or friends because they do not make enough money to afford rent or a mortgage. Here is a look at how the population of hidden homeless has increased in Hawaii:
Source: 2003 Hawaii Housing Policy Study Crowded homes
In 2000, the U.S. Census estimated that 33,066 Hawaii households had three or more generations of parents and their children. Here is where Hawaii stands compared with other states in the top five for multigenerational households:
Source: U.S. Census
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