Hawaii Fires Will Increase Dispartities in Homelessness for Native People Unless Action is Taken

The only Indigenous people on these islands – Kānaka Maoli of Hawaii, and Taotao Håya (Chamorro), Refaluwasch, and Tagata Samoa of U.S. Territories in the Pacific (which span Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa) – are not recognized as sovereign. They have no current treaties with the United States, and continue to face erasure following the illegal overthrow of its monarchy in 1893 and acquisition through the Spanish-American War despite fierce resistance. This erasure has continued for more than a century. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have been overlooked in mainstream conversations about advancing racial equity, reducing disparities, and shifting power to those most impacted even though they have the highest rates of homelessness, with 121 out of every 10,000 people experiencing homelessness as of 2022. Now is the time for us to sound the alarm for people experiencing homelessness who are Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander. Guam is still recovering from Typhoon Mawar, and news continues to emerge about the devastating wildfires in Maui and Hawaii Island. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders were disproportionately experiencing homelessness long before the recent wildfires hit. If providers and public officials do not act swiftly and equitably to provide recovery efforts, these disparities will only grow larger as people are displaced into homelessness. Read the full article about Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders experiencing homelessness by Mary Frances Kenion at National Alliance to End Homelessness.