Inside Hawaii’s Rising Family Homelessness Crisis
At 7 am, Anderina Petero and her 21-year-old daughter, Marianeina, watch the sunrise as their overnight shift at Jack in the Box comes to an end. Anderina and her daughter are not in any rush to leave.
The Handi-Van, Honolulu’s transit service for people with disabilities, isn’t due to pick them up for another hour. As they waited for their long ride back to a homeless shelter in Wai’anae, at the opposite end of the island, they shared their story.
Hawaii’s PIT Count: The Numbers Behind the Crisis
The Petero Family is just one example of the 4,539 homeless people counted on January 25, 2026. This number is only slightly higher than the 4,494 counted in 2024; however, trends remain mixed and, in some cases, alarming. For example, while there has been a 20% decrease in unsheltered homeless individuals since 2024, as well as a 35% increase in those who are sheltered, family homelessness shot up almost 20% since 2024, and a whopping 43% since 2022.
As of last year, Hawaii is also tied for the highest share of homeless youth alongside the District of Columbia, Oregon, New York, and Alaska, with the smallest share of youth with a high school diploma. The Petero family puts a face on those numbers…