Tent City

This thesis examines the displacement of homeless and houseless individuals and families in Honolulu County Hawaii through the examination of rural and urban environments. The purpose of this study is to compare rural and urban homelessness with the goal of identifying whether and why homeless individuals in rural environments are better established than those in urban ones. What types of policies benefit the homeless in these areas and how can city policies and officials work collectively with those suffering from homeless in the urban core without allowing them to infringe on the basic rights of the general public? This study used qualitative data collected in both rural and urban homeless environments. After numerous surveys and interviews, the researcher found that: safety, partnerships with supporting agencies and access to shelter play the largest roles in the quality of life for the homeless.