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  • Home
  • About
    • Advocacy & Legislation
    • Awards & Scholarships
    • Board of Directors
    • Committees >
      • NASW Foundation - Hawai'i Chapter Fund
      • History of Social Work in Hawai'i Project
    • 2021 Conference >
      • Past Conferences >
        • 2018 Conference Presentations
    • Ethics
    • Governance >
      • Branch & Committee Resources
    • Island Branches >
      • Kaua'i Branch
      • Molokai Branch
      • Maui Branch
      • Hawai'i Island Branch
    • Newsletters
    • Social Work Awards Gala
  • Membership
  • Continuing Ed.
    • CE requirements
    • Upcoming CE opportunities
    • CE Law
    • Continuing Education Approval Program
  • Licensing
    • License Applications
    • Licensing Exams
    • Licensing Preparation Courses
    • License Renewal
    • LCSW supervision
    • Transfering your license in/out of state
  • Store
  • Employment & Classifieds
  • Find a Social Worker
  • Hawaii Schools of Social Work
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  • Kickball Tournament
  • Blog: Tales of a Social Worker

Introducing, Caroline!

9/23/2015

5 Comments

 
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A Civil Beat article showing a Micronesian family who is homeless in Honolulu.

It was another hot day in Honolulu, Hawaii when I walked outside my apartment to see my neighbors being forced out of their apartment. Walter, a Chuukese immigrant who has lived in Hawaii for almost eight years, has lived in his one-bedroom apartment for close to three years with his two sons and his wife. One day, Walter received a letter from his landlord telling him that he had five days to pack up and move to a different location because they had violated their lease agreement.

The letter stated that guests of any type were not allowed at this unit. Walter explained to me that in his collectivistic culture, it is common for families to get together frequently and he could not understand why they were being punished for having family over for dinners and gatherings. After acting as the overly-squeaky-wheel, only later did I find out that Walter and his family were being evicted because the landlord had decided to raise rent prices and redo the building.

This was a story quite different from the one that Walter and his family had been told. The situation that Walter and his family are experiencing is unfortunately not unique to them but has been happening across the board to far too many immigrants coming to Hawaii from the Micronesian islands. Walter and his family will soon find themselves in the same dire position as many others: Homeless in Hawaii with little to no resources or opportunities.

Last week, Civil Beat published a fascinating article on homelessness in Hawaii that left many (including us Social Workers) questioning the legality and ethical ramifications behind the Sit Lie Laws. The premise behind the Sit Lie laws is that they will hypothetically encourage those who are reluctant to enter shelters to do so more quickly. “Compassionate Disruption”, as Mayor Kirk Caldwell calls the sweeps, are designed to protect small businesses and move people off of the streets and into shelters; ultimately resulting in them being housed and ending the cycle of homelessness at a faster pace.

As shelters come close to reaching capacity and individuals with disabilities are being turned away, where are the homeless expected to go and what should we as Social Workers be doing for this disadvantaged population?

Walter and his family applied at a homeless shelter and were told to put their names on a waitlist and if something opened up, they would be notified. Almost a month later, and Walter had not received any news.

​ If individuals, like Walter, are doing everything they can to succeed despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles, what can be done to ensure that these types of vulnerable populations are protected against blatant discrimination and oppression?
5 Comments
Judith
9/24/2015 08:26:16 am

Reply
Kathleen Murray
9/24/2015 04:24:58 pm

Good for you shining a light on a sad situation.

Reply
Susan R.
9/24/2015 05:12:48 pm

I would think that a letter of eviction due to a violation versus a statement to the contrary by way of ??? to some sort of Housing Agency should make the case to stop this sort of thing. But, I know nothing about Hawaii..

Reply
Y2
2/7/2016 03:35:03 pm

Your points are well taken Caroline. What can social workers do?? We cant do this alone. This issue impacts everyone one of us and we need to become sensitized.

Reply
Full Body Quebec link
3/31/2021 10:47:43 pm

Great bloog you have here

Reply



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    Author

    2020 Spring Semester blog posts are written by Jennifer Nacapuy. 2018-2019 Academic Year blog posts are written by Sruthi Vijayakumar & Cynthia Macey. 2017-2018 blog posts were written by Holly Arroyo & Jenalyn Camagong

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