Hawaii lawmakers want to buy homeless one-way tickets


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Lawmakers in the Aloha State want to wave goodbye to their growing homeless population -- by buying them a one-way ticket off the island.

Hawaii's controversial three-year ?Return to Home? pilot program launches later this year and is being billed as a way to help the state?s 17,000 homeless residents, while reducing the financial burden the state has in caring for them. Under the plan, the state will pay for a one-way plane ticket for any homeless resident who can find someone on the mainland to take them in.

The program, which has a $100,000 annual budget, is the brainchild of state Rep. John Mizuno, who had unsuccessfully tried to get a similar plan through the past three legislative sessions. This year, the measure was attached to a larger spending bill and squeaked through the state legislature.

Critics, though, say the program is a quick fix and does nothing to address the root causes of homelessness.

Patricia McManaman, director of the Department of Human Services ? the agency tasked with implementing the program -- told lawmakers she had reservations about the plan to send the state?s homeless away and questioned the program?s funding. She also had a problem with language in the bill that suggests homeless people are in need of ?sufficient personal hygiene? in order to travel ? something she calls an ?unnecessary and inappropriate stereotype.?

But Mizuno argues it?s time the state get on board with a plan that he claims can help up to 100 homeless Hawaiians a year.

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The program, which has a $100,000 annual budget, is the brainchild of state Rep. John Mizuno, who had unsuccessfully tried to get a similar plan through the past three legislative sessions. This year, the measure was attached to a larger spending bill and squeaked through the state legislature.

But Mizuno argues it?s time the state get on board with a plan that he claims can help up to 100 homeless Hawaiians a year.

 

 17,000 homeless and you want to help 100? Wow. Yeah, this will make a difference. :rofl:

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 17,000 homeless and you want to help 100? Wow. Yeah, this will make a difference. :rofl:

 

By the year 2183 it will have done so.

 

Anyway, I have a cheaper alternative: Soylent Green.

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same thing happened in canada, the province of alberta put a bunch of homeless on busses and shipped them out to vancouver. they told them the weather is nicer,and plus, vancouver is more homeless friendly.

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Why ? It is no better.

 

 

 

That's a bit subjective. There was a special on homeless from around the country a few years ago. Hawaii was one of the places shown and one of the places that the most resourceful are able to take better care of themselves. There was a group that lived in the state parks, they had tents and mini gardens, of which the officials used to know if there was homeless near by. They got kicked out a lot but would go right back after the officials let them go. They could feed themselves between the gardens and fishing and with fresh water easy to find, many of them lived pretty comfy for their situation. They also learned that many tourists would leave or even give up items they didn't want to take back to their home locations. Keeping clothed and clean wasn't that hard. Lastly the weather is damn near perfect all year round. The places like Chicago, New York and so forth, aren't anything as nice or offer the same options as listed above. So if your option was good weather, beautiful scenery, relative access to steady fresh water, food and clothes and can deal with living outdoors and taking care of yourself, how is that not better? Im not saying that's how all homeless in Hawaii have it but if your motivated enough to live as best you can being homeless, Hawaii sounds like a good option to take up. 

 

I live in Chicago and the winters and summers can suck even if you're not homeless. Personally Id rather live in a steady year round climate then what Chicago offers. Id love to live in Hawaii but the cost of living there is to damn high. 

 

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Los Angeles got caught doing this, they were sending homeless that were mentally ill to other states. About 80% to Arizona and New Mexico. If I remember right we got a couple in San Antonio.

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It makes sense. I recall reading an article in 2009 or so about many single men spending what little money they had left for a one way ticket to Hawaii with the plan of just living on the beaches / in the parks. Most everyone would be fine with living in Hawaii, it's just very expensive. However if you didn't plan on buying land or a house, it's pretty much just a free tropical paradise.

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