The number of homeless people staying in Hawaii shelters jumped 22 percent to 6,733 people between the 2005 and 2007 fiscal years, a study being released today shows.

The “;Homeless Service Utilization Report: Hawaii 2008”; also says 6,777 people living in cars, parks or beaches or at risk of becoming homeless got help from agencies last fiscal year, a 67 percent spike during the three-year period.

“;The fact that they are serving more clients now means that someone—and it had to be our legislators and the governor—really opened up more of these emergency and transitional shelters,”; said Sylvia Yuen, of the University of Hawaii's Center on the Family, which compiled the report with the Homeless Programs Branch of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

“;I think it's a remarkable advance that more people have been served,”; she added.

The report collected data from 28 agencies that got money from the housing authority and entered client information into an online Homeless Management and Information System.

Sandra Miyoshi, director of the authority's homeless division, said the study will help officials better tailor programs to combat homelessness.

“;So much of the homeless problem is invisible, unless you are personally involved with its people and services,”; she said in a statement.

For Yuen one of the most alarming findings was that about one-third of the homeless were children.

“;It's not their fault that they were born into this situation,”; Yuen said, adding that homeless minors deserve extra attention to ensure they will succeed in school and in life.

The average length of stay for people who used emergency shelters only was 3.2 months, while those who relied on both emergency and transitional shelters stayed 10.3 months on average, the report said. It noted that people who transitioned from emergency shelters to longer-term shelters appeared to be more successful in finding a room, apartment or house to rent or own than those who left emergency shelters in search of housing.

Yuen and report co-author Dr. Sarah Yuan said shelter programs that charge fees for users staying longer than a few months help the homeless budget for rent once they get out. They also said Hawaii should build more affordable houses to reduce homelessness.

In last year's report, homeless people listed financial problems as the top cause for lacking a home, followed by family conflict and substance abuse.