Hawaii has long been known as a tropical paradise, but in recent years another image has intruded into the state's carefully crafted one of idyllic beaches and relaxing resorts: homelessness. The number of homeless people has grown in recent years, leaving the state with 487 homeless per 100,000 people, the nation's highest rate per capita, above New York and Nevada, according to federal statistics. Many of the homeless, however, defy the stereotype of the mentally ill or drug addicted. They are families, with men and women who work full-time jobs. They are struggling to get a foothold in a place with a high cost of living and low wages. Here: in this Thursday, August 27, 2015 photo, a homeless man drinks water while sitting on the beach at Ala Moana Beach Park located near Waikiki in Honolulu. (Photo by Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)

A dead crocodile is seen on Huangsha Seafood Market in Guangzhou, Guandong Province, China, 22 January 2018. Tsukiji Market of China or Huangsha Seafood Market is biggest one in Southern China and one of the biggest in China, as there are literally hundreds of different varieties of fish and seafood scattered throughout the market. (Photo by Aleksandar Plavevski/EPA/EFE)

Azat Shajbyrov reacts with a baby falcon on his head in a village of Bokonbaevo, Issyk-Kul area (270 km from Bishkek), Kyrgyzstan, 22 June 2016, as he dreams of continuing a family tradition of golden eagle hunting. Eagle and falcon hunting is an old Kyrgyz tradition. With their birds, Kyrgyz berkutchy hunt in the mountains and participate in the hunting festival “Salburun”. (Photo by Igor Kovalenko/EPA)

Tim Anderson final balanced rock stack in the Llano River. Tim Anderson, rock balancing “pro” from Pennsylvania, carefully worked to balance his stack on a dry spot in the Llano river Saturday March 12, 2016. He was an honored guest of the festival and enjoyed visiting Texas so he came for another year. The river was higher this year because of the rains so the balancers could not get to the better rock that were available last year. (Photo by Nell Carroll/American-Statesman)

An Oakland Raiders cheerleader performs during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, October 27, 2013. (Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

Residents wade through flood waters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Beaumont Place, Houston, Texas on August 28, 2017. Houston was still largely paralyzed Monday, and there was no relief in sight from the storm that spun into Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, then parked itself over the Gulf Coast. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Reuters)

Sasha, a police dog, wears a cap and gown, on the day of the 374th Commencement exercises at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Revelers slong Bourbon Street on Mardi Gras day in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 4, 2025. Several parades were canceled or sheduled early due to high winds and security was tightened in the wake of the January car attack in the French Quarter. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/AFP Photo)