46 in every 10,000 Hawaii residents are homeless. That’s the highest rate in the nation, a new report says

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii and New York tied for the highest per capita rates of homelessness in 2018, a new federal report to Congress shows.

The report said that while homelessness in the islands declined nearly 10 percent from 2017, Hawaii continued to outpace other states in the number of homeless people compared to its overall population.

In 2018, 46 in every 10,000 Hawaii residents experienced homelessness, the federal report said.

That’s the same rate as New York — and higher than California (33 out of 10,000 people), Massachusetts (29 out of 10,000 people), and Nevada (25 out of 10,000 people).

Hawaii also had the nation’s fourth-highest rate of unsheltered homeless people. Some 53 percent of homeless counted in a survey in January were living on the streets and not in shelters.

And Hawaii was one of just five states in the nation where homelessness among veterans has increased in 2009.

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