{"id":481,"date":"2026-05-23T04:35:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T04:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=481"},"modified":"2026-05-23T04:35:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T04:35:53","slug":"oahu-sees-rise-in-family-homelessness-despite-overall-drop-in-unsheltered-population","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=481","title":{"rendered":"Oahu sees rise in family homelessness despite overall drop in unsheltered population"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

Groups that work directly with unhoused families say they are seeing the impact firsthand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d said Ryan Catalani, executive director of Family Promise of Hawaii.<\/p>\n

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Catalani said rising housing costs and domestic instability have driven more families to seek help in recent months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d said Catalani.<\/p>\n

The Point-in-Time Count also found 802 homeless keiki on Oahu, with nearly 90 percent staying in shelters.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am still at the transitioning home up in Kahamana Farms. It is called Rise,\u201d Schultz said.<\/p>\n

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Schultz said his parents were unable to find work, and finding a guardian was difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t find a guardian that could take care of me that was blood-related because everything has to be blood,\u201d said Schultz.<\/p>\n

The report also highlighted families who have since found stability after experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cRaising our kids in the shelter, it was a big challenge because I could see the shame that my kids had,\u201d the Cenals said.<\/p>\n

Catalani said most families that are at risk or experiencing homelessness are related to economic disruption.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Read more Mountain View resident in custody after reported firearms incident in Puna<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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