Oahu sees rise in family homelessness despite overall drop in unsheltered population

News admin May 23, 2026 0 Comments

Oahu sees rise in family homelessness despite overall drop in unsheltered population

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The number of people living on Oahu streets dropped about 20 percent from 2024, but homelessness among families and children increased sharply, according to the latest Point-in-Time Count.

The survey from January found the number of homeless families with children is up 19 percent from 2024. Since 2022, it has increased 43 percent.

Groups that work directly with unhoused families say they are seeing the impact firsthand.

“The population that is increasingly at risk of becoming homeless are actually children and families, where the risk for other populations, for example, just single adult individuals, may actually be decreasing,” said Ryan Catalani, executive director of Family Promise of Hawaii.

Catalani said rising housing costs and domestic instability have driven more families to seek help in recent months.

“We get up to 2 to 300 first-time callers per month, so it could be as high as 10 new families in a single day looking for assistance from us for the first time,” said Catalani.

The Point-in-Time Count also found 802 homeless keiki on Oahu, with nearly 90 percent staying in shelters.

Among them is 18-year-old Eric Pookela Schultz, who said he has cycled in and out of shelters since he was 15 while his parents struggled with addiction.

“I am still at the transitioning home up in Kahamana Farms. It is called Rise,” Schultz said.

Schultz said his parents were unable to find work, and finding a guardian was difficult.

“I couldn’t find a guardian that could take care of me that was blood-related because everything has to be blood,” said Schultz.

The report also highlighted families who have since found stability after experiencing homelessness.

Keiki and Kahala Cenal, now business owners of Kamaaina Cleaning Solutions, said living in shelters while raising children was difficult and often emotionally painful.

“Raising our kids in the shelter, it was a big challenge because I could see the shame that my kids had,” the Cenals said.

Catalani said most families that are at risk or experiencing homelessness are related to economic disruption.

The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization projects continued pressure on housing and household budgets due to high energy costs, storms, and a slowing tourism sector.