Hawaii has an indigent problem. The solution? Export homeless to their native state. Yes, Hawaii is telling the homeless to go back where they came from and giving them money to do it.
Hawaii lawmakers hope to save taxpayers millions of dollars in welfare costs by shipping some of the state’s estimated 17,000 homeless back to their families on the mainland.
It’s a controversial idea. Critics point to potential abuse of the program and view it as a Band-Aid approach to a deeply rooted problem.
But supporters see it as a win-win; the homeless get a fresh start in a supportive environment and the state can focus its limited funding on local residents.
Hawaii is not the first place to try this, back in 2009 NYC shipped their homeless as well.
Will it work? Is it cruel? What would you do?
