Homelessness numbers on Oahu are on the rise, according to the state’s annual Point in Time (PIT) Count, conducted in January on Oahu by umbrella organization Partners in Care.

In January, PIT Count surveyors counted 4,494 unhoused people on Oahu, up 466 or nearly 12% from 4,028 in January 2023. Of the 2024 total, 1,123 — a discomforting 25% — were part of 276 families, including 635 children. Half were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

The one-day survey is an indicator, rather than a complete count, but these numbers on their own should be enough to jolt the state, Oahu communities and service providers into red-alert action.

City and state government leaders are leaning into the problem, with encouraging plans to add substantive numbers of new housing units for people of limited means. But new challenges and longstanding concerns continue to complicate the issue, requiring collaboration and consultation with nonprofits, local business and those in need to discern specific needs.

Organizations oriented to uplift Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander communities must redouble efforts to solve this problem, whether by creating housing independently or contributing to state or community efforts to add to Hawaii’s affordable housing stock — particularly low-income housing suitable for families that is not segregated or isolated.

The Department of Hawaiian Homelands has made laudable and promising moves in this direction, seeking to obtain, build and provide rent-to-own housing that provides permanent shelter and can lead to a lasting leasehold interest for its Native Hawaiian stakeholders. This must be vigorously supported.

Federal programs to “prevent and end” homelessness for families, youth and children are in place, and state officials are properly working to leverage federal funds available. Here too, though, the upward trends and dwindling money available from federal COVID-19-era funding create mounting pressures, leading service providers to worry that the numbers may continue to grow.

This can’t be accepted, and with encouragement from voters, support from community agencies and full-speed-ahead action from our government leaders, homelessness increases can be turned around. Each individual can help in some way, whether by volunteering, donating to a homelessness services provider or advocating for more corporate and institutional support.

As Gov. Josh Green and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi have announced, the city and state plan to open significantly more homeless housing across Oahu in the coming months and years.

This year, the city has opened 396 more beds for unsheltered people, and Honolulu plans to open 500 more in the coming months. Significantly, these include three new shelters for homeless families, with 18 family units in Hauula, 27 in Wahiawa and 12 at Waikiki Vista.

At the state level, seven “kauhale” communities of permanent tiny homes have been opened, and 14 more are on the way, including wrap-around social services for their formerly homeless residents. Two of these will be in Waianae, with one each in Kaneohe and Kailua — all underserved areas. Waianae needs more housing; the area has 783 PIT Count homeless and only two shelters.

State homeless coordinator John Mizuno expects to see approximately 1,400 housing units opened on Oahu by 2026, and says the state is pushing to achieve “something epic” by halving the numbers of chronic homeless by 2026.

Solutions are at hand, as proven by the success of targeted programs for veterans that provide direct financial support for housing, legal services, counseling and, in particular, supportive housing. This provides a roadmap and should motivate local leaders, both public and private, to act decisively.