Lokahai – At Low Tide

We are all confronted by the escalating rate of homelessness in our community. The number of people living on sidewalks has grown to the point that they become homeless communities in our midst. Our canals are lined with tents and shelters of the dispossessed. Federal officials declare they have never seen such a state repeatedly use the word “crisis” to describe it. How has our dear Hawai‘i descended to this point where homelessness, once never seen in our culture, becomes the new normal? How do we take steps to bring healing to this open sore in Paradise? How do we deal with our frustrations and angers?

There are obviously no simple one step answers. What has been going through my mind is to view homelessness as an amazing opportunity for our community to reaffirm our core culture and character.

We need to embrace the homeless, particularly the homeless families and children, as a gift to practice our aloha and mālama in ways that strengthen our communal commitment to what is pono!

I have seen glimpses of this approach through the efforts of many churches to feed and shelter the needy. I have been encouraged by the positive responses of our community in the recruitment, training, and placement of those seeking jobs and a path of sustainability. I am challenged by organizations that stand ready to help build houses for families and rehab units in low income housing facilities if given the chance. Without being Pollyanna about it, I believe the “crisis” of homelessness can bring a community awakening to the heart of aloha that is in our DNA.

Unfortunately, at least 31 cities nationwide have passed laws that restrict or prohibit food-sharing in public places, meaning those who continue to feed the homeless without following various restrictions such as obtaining permits (often for a fee), could be fined or go to jail. Fortunately for us, Hawai‘i has not yet passed such a law. Those who passed these laws believe the myth that feeding the homeless enables them to remain homeless (as opposed to the real reasons, such as lack of affordable housing, lack of job opportunity, mental health or physical disability).

We need our policy makers to help fuel a rethinking of homelessness, but it should not wait for them to do it for all of us. We can organize early education programs for homeless young children, we can provide places where homeless adults can get training and preparation for employment, we can coordinate health services beyond its present state, and we can give hope to the hopeless and meaning and focus to our frustrations with the present situation. The thought that homelessness is an opportunity is something that needs to be planted and cultivated in our minds and actions. It would be a return to our core community values.

Are we ready to risk it?

Several years ago, an international expert on child welfare introduced me to how another community esteems and cares for their young. It has remained with me to this day. She pointed out that the warriors of the Maasai tribe in Africa, a nation well known for their military arts and long history of conquest, use a simple traditional greeting. They ask the question “Casserian Engeri” meaning, “And how are the children?” The Maasai understand that if the children are well, the community they live in is well. More importantly, this greeting summarizes the place children have in their communal priorities.

The Maasai understand that if the children are well, the community they live in is well.

From time to time I have turned this lesson about community priorities over in my head and have asked the question, “Why haven’t we made this part of our daily focus in life?” How have we allowed other concerns and urgencies to overshadow our commitment to our young? Today we face the consequences of this disregard in our community. Hawaiian children and children in general in Hawai‘i and elsewhere are beset by discouraging statistics. Hawai‘i is ranked near the bottom third in education nationwide and over half of our children are not attending preschool. Results from the Hawai‘i State School Readiness Assessment show that only 14.5% of kindergarten classes have at least three fourths of the children consistently displaying the skills and characteristics necessary for success in school life.

Early childhood education and school readiness are essential, as research has shown that 85% of brain development occurs by age 5.

Compounding these dismal statistics, the number of children living in poverty in Hawai‘i has increased in the past five years. These living conditions and lack of resources can have a lasting detrimental effect on children, especially homeless children. Compared to non-homeless children, homeless children are: nine times more likely to repeat a grade, four times as likely to drop out of school, three times more likely to be placed in a special education program, twice as likely to score lower on standardized tests, and have higher rates of chronic/acute illnesses, learning disabilities, and emotional or behavioral problems. Recent articles have called our community’s homeless situation “a crisis that demands action” with the children at the very center. However, no rational policy has emerged from our leaders.

Not a pretty sight. Perhaps we should think about greeting each other with “Aloha! Pehea nā keiki?” as a means of resetting our priorities as a community. The Hawaiian culture, as is true in most cultures, recognizes the critical role the care and preparation of our children have in the survival of their community. How is that played out in our community? How do we tolerate an educational system that takes significant resources and delivers questionable outcomes in the lives of our young? Why do children from dysfunctional families often end up in a harsh public child welfare system? Where is our investment in programs to prepare children and families for success? Why do we not demand outcomes with our investment in children that will sustain healthy and resilient communities? Could it be because our unspoken greetings are “…and how are the teachers?” or “…and how are the administrators?” or “…and how is the union?” or “…and how are our politicians?” and we end up relegating children, particularly poor homeless children, way down the priority list of public and private investment?

As we come together, let us ask each other, “Pehea nā keiki?” and have the courage to mean it and act upon it. Pose the question to those who represent us… let’s see their response. Perhaps sometime soon we can respond, “Maika‘i nō nā keiki!” (They are well!)

View printable version: And How Are The Children