LIHUE — There was a crowd gathered outside the Historic County Building on Wednesday. They weren’t there to attend the County Council meeting addressing homelessness. They are the homeless, and were there to take advantage of shade trees and picnic
LIHUE — There was a crowd gathered outside the Historic County Building on Wednesday.
They weren’t there to attend the County Council meeting addressing homelessness.
They are the homeless, and were there to take advantage of shade trees and picnic tables on the building’s lawn.
Councilmembers walked past people lying on the lawn and smoking in the parking lot just outside the front steps of the historic building, where they planned to tackle the challenging issue of homelessness.
“We need to get a handle on this,” said County Council Chair Mel Rapozo. “Long-term solutions are one thing, but there are immediate actions that need to be taken.”
County Councilmember Ross Kagawa said he was appalled by the daily mess created in the building’s public restrooms, while other members expressed concerns about safety issues and noise caused by park users.
“I do sympathize. A couple of them are my friends from high school,” said Kagawa.
In the parking lot, Rod Carvalho loaded clothes into his weathered blue truck before heading to work at the Kilohana luau.
“Some families, they want to sit down and eat, and they are so afraid because they hear that guy cracking the whip. They go back in their car and leave,” said Carvalho. “That’s not good. The park should be for everybody, not just them.”
One homeless woman, who was resting at a picnic table and did not want to be named, said many people who use the park and bus stop also frequent the public restrooms, but only a few of them disrespect the facilities. On the ceiling above the toilet there was what appeared to be blood.
“I come to sit in this park quite a bit,” said Alfred Darrel Caley. “I don’t have my own place. I’m homeless myself. A lot of people have problems and want to change the way they feel, so they get high or they get drunk. I understand that. I was a drunk for a lot of years. I had to go to prison to stop smoking and drinking. But I gave my life to Jesus a long time ago.”
According to the 2017 Hawaii Statewide Homeless Point-In-Time count, Kauai had 412 homeless persons compared to 442 last year.
The figure accounts for 297 unsheltered homeless persons and 115 sheltered.
This year’s count found 7,220 homeless individuals across Hawaii compared to 7,921 in 2016.
Private-public partnerships with faith-based organizations, community groups and nonprofits could help those in need, along with essential county and state action.
“A lot of people are homeless because they have problems,” Caley said. “We’re not all bad people. Some just take a lot of time to explain what their problems are, and people just don’t have the time. They’re in too much of a hurry and thinking about themselves instead of others.”
Christopher McQueen, who works at Rob’s Good Times Grill, talks story at one of the picnic tables with Kristian Colehiggs, a 22-year-old who works at Rent-A-Center.
“I don’t feel safety is an issue at this park,” said McQueen.
“The guys crack the whips for fun, and to me it’s just annoying. There are a lot of good people here. There’s enough guys who actually do enjoy the park and know the worth of the park.”
McQueen added, “The people kind of police themselves. We take care of the area because it takes care of us.”
“Today’s my day off,” said Colehiggs, who moved here six month ago from California. “I usually spend my time surfing or boogie boarding. Today I’m just chilling, hanging out, trying to learn more about the island.”
Except for large bare spots in the grass and some bicycle parts left by a tree, the park appears well-maintained, although the trash cans needed to be emptied.
Many of the park’s regular users stay at the nearby homeless shelter or live in their vehicles. They often clean up litter blown into the park and try to be respectful with their noise levels, they said.
“Is homelessness a crime?” asked Quasi Chang. He continued: “I challenge the mayor and all the committee guys: Take off your clothes, put on rags and sleep with us for one week.”
Committee defers issue for 2 weeks
Unfortunately, creating sustainable solutions to the issue may take time after coordinating with multiple organizations such as police, public works, parks officials and homeless residents.
“It’s going to take a lot of coordination,” said County Councilmember JoAnn Yukimura. “We need to hear from these people.”
One person living on the street, Chad Schaefer, has had his own challenges to deal with since losing his left leg years ago. After swimming in Nawiliwili Harbor with a sore, his leg became so infected from the polluted water that it had to be amputated.
“What they need to do is put a ramp right here in front of the county building for wheelchair-impaired people,” Schaefer said. “It doesn’t matter where I come up, I have to have people help me.”
“I sit here with friends, eat my food and read my book,” Schaefer continued. “But it’s a pain to get up to the table, because these are my friends over here. I like to talk to them. They’re not in the best of times, but they’re all good people.”
Although limited resources and services are in place to help, like Mental Health Kokua and Housing First programs, some homeless problems are based on health issues, substance abuse and unemployment — or simply circumstance.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Rapozo proposed a relocation program to deal with the issue by providing a designated encampment for homeless people. However, he was frustrated that the Kauai Police Department was not ready to collaborate with feedback in the discussion.
“We still need to remember that it is upon us to help those in need,” said County Councilmember Derek Kawakami.
In the end, the committee deferred the homeless issue for two weeks, in hopes of coordinating with various agencies on a solution.
“We cannot wait. We’ve been waiting 20 years for this,” said County Councilmember Arthur Brun, “and our homeless situation has not gotten better. It’s out where you can see it. Let’s make a difference, not depend on somebody else to do it.”
