Group airs plan
for homeless campsite
By February, up to 100 homeless could be living on a campsite in an undeveloped park next to Waianae High School.
The plan, in the works since the beginning of the year, has angered some residents who fear the proposed homeless community will attract drug use and criminal activity, said Waianae Neighborhood Board member Georgette Jordan.
But despite some negative reaction, many in the area also agree that something has to be done to help the estimated 2,000 homeless who live on the Waianae Coast, she said.
"There are whole families, infants to elderly," on the streets, Jordan said. "You have chronics, ice heads, drunks. You have people who are just down on their luck. It's a wide spectrum."
The campsite's proposed location would take up about two acres of the undeveloped Waianae Regional Park, an almost 12-acre piece of property thick with high brush. The site would be located in the middle of the park and could be enclosed with a fence, Jordan said.
Officials presented the plan to community members at a public meeting last night. They hope to take the proposal to the November meeting of the Waianae Neighborhood Board and have the campsite in operation by February.
Tom Caldwell, chairman of Community Area Responsibility, which put together the plan for the campsite, said the group began looking into the issue after the city suggested building a campsite for homeless at the isolated Keaau Beach Park in Makaha.
In response, the group took up the project and set up a system that gave points to possible locations depending on their accessibility to bus stops, food stores and service organization.
The site would have bathrooms, platforms for about 35 tents, running water and 24-hour supervision provided by the Waianae Community Association, Caldwell said.
He said the site would be targeted to those who are "in need of help and want help."
"People who are firmly committed to living on the beach are not the group that we're talking about," he said.
