Despite its limitations, the Hawaiian Housing initiative is still helping some Native Hawaiians who meet the requirements to receive affordable housing. There are also several community organizations like the Housing First project and the Hawaii Pathways Project (HPP) that work to minimize the homeless crisis on the islands.
There have been protests toward reforming the Hawaiian Housing initiative, as well as enforcing stricter sanctions on VRU violations to decrease the rising number of illegally operated VRUs.
Airbnb has joined in this quest to help crackdown on these illegal VRUs. In July 2021,Airbnb and Maui County announced the signing of an agreement to enable the County to better enforce its short-term rental rules. This led to Airbnb removing more than 1,300 listings that did not comply with the terms of that agreement. The company also has a similar agreement with Kauai County and is continuing to be transparent and honest in its endeavors in the Hawaiian community to create more opportunities in the market.
“Airbnb was started when our founders couldn’t make their rent, and countless people use Airbnb to stay in the homes and communities they love,” said a representative from Airbnb. “Of course, we also want to work with communities to address their concerns – and we work closely with communities on rules and regulations that help make their cities stronger and better places to live and visit, including across Hawaii.”
Even more so, Airbnb says short-term rentals aid in boosting the economy of the cities they’re in and provide an additional source of income for many locals in many places around the world, including Hawaii.
Still, homelessness in Hawaii remains a major problem and tourism does play a role in the shrinking availability of housing for locals and Native Hawaiians to live in.
In his essay, Magbual says although laws need to be reformed and more advocates are needed for the homeless population, there needs to be some accountability for the systematic destruction of the Hawaiian natives both in the past and present.
“However, engaging directly with Native Hawaiian communities, acknowledging the historical trauma of colonization, and prioritizing their needs will be essential to mitigate homelessness in Hawaii,” Magbual said.
