Recent suicides highlight challenges for Hawaii’s homeless youth

By Paul Drewes

Click here for updates on this story

    HONOLULU (KITV) — Life on the streets can not only be dangerous, it’s also been deadly for homeless youth.

Three recent suicides highlight the need not only for more housing but also mental health services.

An old correctional center on Oahu’s Windward side has been transformed into a place of hope for Hawaii’s homeless youth, who face more than just the usual challenges of growing up.

“We see roughly 300 youth a year, that are sleeping rough, unsheltered on Oahu,” said Carla Houser, the Executive Director of Residential Youth Services and Empowerment or RYSE.

“We have a crisis, a mental health crisis for our young people. Suicide is the leading cause of death for young people in Hawaii.”

One of those youth is Ethan Oshiro, who came to the RYSE Center a month and a half ago.

“I wanted to get help. I wanted to get off the streets,” stated Oshiro.

At the RYSE Center, nearly 2 dozen youth can stay in their emergency stabilization housing, and also get help with mental health issues.

“We have a crisis, a mental health crisis for our young people. Suicide is the leading cause of death for young people in Hawaii,” said Houser.

Just down the road from the RYSE Center, is a memorial to Acacia Kaiu-Brown who died two weeks ago. She was one of three homeless youth served by RYSE, who Houser said struggled with mental health issues and who died by suicide over the past 6 months.

Those deaths highlight the critical need for mental health help for homeless youth.

“We can provide a bed to get them off the street, so they will not be in communities. But without the therapeutic psychiatry to stabilize these youth – it is like a revolving door,” added Houser.

Even though there is limited bed space available, the RYSE Center allows other homeless youth to drop-in 12 hours each day.

Which gives them a place to eat, shower or just relax off the streets.

“Everyone feels welcome here. You can feel the love. When you come over here, they are just trying to help. It is a good program,” said Oshiro.

Typically youth stay at the center between 90-120 days, while they are helped into a housing situation they can manage and financially handle.

For Oshiro, he had to turn to the streets after running out of family to live with.

“I burned all my bridges. That’s what drugs do, right? I have hope now. I can see something. It’s not all dark, it is a little bit lit now,” added Oshiro.

His future is a little brighter, as RYSE helped him get a job.

RYSE workers assists youth to get back on track, by reaching education and employment goals.

It also offers classes to deal with substance abuse, trauma or other difficulties they have faced.

“The wrap around supports we provide make a difference. We have a lot of mental health challenges, but we have a lot of skilled, compassionate providers,” added Houser.

In the future, Houser would like to expand that support, and the number of beds at the former Youth Correctional Center – so they can help even more.

That will take additional funding from the state.

Kaiu-Brown’s memorial is a reminder of what could happen to other homeless youth, if more isn’t done.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.