HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiʻi has seen one of the biggest jumps in homelessness in the entire United States.
Between 2023 and 2024 the state recorded an increase of 5,414 people experiencing homelessness. That was an 87% rise. Only New York had a larger increase in total numbers.
Much of that change came from people counted in shelters. Maui added more than 5,000 people to its shelter count after the wildfires.
Families who lost housing were placed in temporary disaster shelter programs which made the official numbers grow very quickly. The report also noted that unsheltered homelessness rose across the islands with local agencies linking that rise to high housing costs and financial strain.
Families with children were hit hard. Hawaiʻi reported a 187% rise in family homelessness in that same year. Only Illinois had a larger percentage increase.
Most of the rise came from families entering shelters instead of sleeping outside. Even with that shift the report still identified people in families living in places not meant for housing.
Hawaiʻi also ranked amongst states with the highest share of people living outside or unsheltered. States with warmer climates — such as Hawaiʻi, Mississippi, Alabama, New Mexico and California — had some of the largest rates of unsheltered homelessness.
Chronic homelessness remained a concern as well. The report noted that states with limited affordable housing showed higher numbers of people who had been homeless for a long time.
Hawaiʻi appeared in that group along with Washington and Nevada. Nationally, there is an estimated 30% of all individuals experiencing homelessness had chronic patterns. Hawaiʻi fit the trend of states where many people living outside had long term homelessness.
While the report did not list veteran or youth numbers for Hawaiʻi alone it showed clear warning signs. Large jumps in total family homelessness and unsheltered living point to a system under stress.
Houselessness is not new in Hawaiʻi. What changed in 2024 was the scale. Thousands of families entered shelters at once. At the same time more people slept outside due to high rent and limited options. The state moved from a steady crisis to a sudden surge.
You can click here to access the full report.
The numbers are simple. There are more people need shelter than before in Hawaiʻi and more people who are living outside than before. According to the report, the rise was not slow. Rather, it was a wave.