They were there first, but now Native Hawaiians have nowhere to live

[KamaAina]

http://fusion.net/story/217932/native-hawaiians-homeless-state-emergency/

The nation’s most ethnically diverse state is having a huge homelessness problem—but it’s the native people who were there first that are disproportionately ending up on the streets.

At last count, there were 7,260 homeless people in Hawai‘i, giving the islands of Aloha the highest rate of homelessness per capita of any state in the nation. Hawai‘i Gov. David Ige on Friday declared a state of emergency to help the state speed up the process of building a homeless shelter for families.

Between 2014 and 2015 Hawai‘i saw a 46% increase in the number of unsheltered families living in the streets, abandoned buildings, or in other places not meant for human habitation, Scott Morishige, the state’s homelessness coordinator told The Associated Press. The state also saw a 23% increase in unsheltered homeless individuals....

Twenty-eight percent of individuals using the state’s rehousing program were Native Hawaiians or part-Hawaiians, even though they make up 10% of the state population in Hawaii.

This can take some interesting turns. A friend of mine out there who is of Chinese and Japanese ancestry discovered Hawaiian culture through his homeless (they say "houseless&quot activism. He is now a full-throated supporter of Hawaiian sovereignty.