The city moves to clear out homeless
in Honolulu, which exacerbates
the problem, advocates say

» History of a recurring problem

Spurred partly by residents' complaints, the city will start a two-month series of sweeps this week for homeless at parks from McCully to East Honolulu.

The first sweep could be as early as today, but city Department of Parks and Recreation Director Lester Chang declined to release details on when and where the sweeps would be, saying there is no set schedule for the homeless evictions.

The city did notify service providers who help the homeless by e-mail earlier this week and said the sweeps would be held tonight, June 16 and 30, and July 8 and 21, but did not give details on locations.

"It's a moving situation," Chang said yesterday. "Every park is different. Every situation is different."

The sweeps come just four months after large homeless evictions in Waianae and Ewa Beach parks displaced more than 100 people and had several service providers calling on the Legislature to put a moratorium on sweeps.

Lawmakers took up the issue but said a moratorium would have been too broad.

Police and the city regularly sweep tourist-frequented parks in Waikiki and Ala Moana but rarely spread out to Hawaii Kai, McCully and other areas said to be targeted in this series of sweeps. Chang said the project was largely undertaken because of complaints from community members. Also, he said, the sweeps help maintain a park's intended use -- especially with the summer approaching and more residents outdoors.

"I have the responsibility of keeping the parks clean," he said. "This is one of the unfortunate processes that we have to go through."

But homeless advocates say the sweeps are not only unnecessary, but make the island's homeless situation worse. "Just as you're starting to make headway with a family ... just as you get them hooked into the various resources, you have to find them (after a sweep) and start things going again," said Margot Schrire, chairwoman of Partners in Care, a group dedicated to ending homelessness in the islands.

"The more education and compassion we can get out there in the community, the more we can be less reactive and more responsive."

Schrire, who is also spokeswoman for the Institute for Human Services, said most of those evicted in the sweeps will likely move to another park because many of Oahu's shelters are full, which she blamed on the state's high housing prices and lack of affordable housing.

Stanlyn Placencia, executive director of Waianae Community Outreach, said the sweeps further disconnect the homeless from society -- and even hurt their chances of moving into a home -- by sending "the message that you do not belong ... and that nobody cares."

Others who work with the homeless also said they were worried that the upcoming series of Honolulu sweeps, coupled with those earlier this year in West Oahu and the Waianae Coast, signal a stepping up of homeless evictions from city parks under Mayor Mufi Hannemann's administration.

But Chang said there is no such "master plan" and that sweeps come up "based on the situation and the community and the people that are involved in the parks." He said there will be more sweeps islandwide, but only as needed.

Karen Ah Mai, chairwoman of the neighborhood board that stretches from Diamond Head to St. Louis Heights, said she has seen dozens of homeless camped out in parks in her area and has fielded concerns from residents. She said she knows sweeps are not the answer to the homeless problem, but also understands why the city would want to keep "the homeless from being totally entrenched" in a park.

All this week, programs that help the homeless in areas covering the sweeps have sent employees out to parks to get the word out. Schrire said outreach providers have also educated homeless people on the kinds of resources available to them.

Darlene Hein, director of the Waikiki Health Center Care-A-Van Program, which delivers supplies, food and clothing to homeless people around the island, said it is a good sign that the city alerted homeless providers to the upcoming sweeps. In the past, notifications have been sporadic.

Chang said programs were told about the sweeps -- at the request of the city Department of Community Services -- in hopes of preparing homeless in parks for evictions. "Hopefully, they're offering some suggestion ... and telling them (the homeless) they need to find another place."

Chang said the upcoming sweeps would be done at night.

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History of a
recurring problem

There have been a number of sweeps for homeless in parks and other public areas islandwide this year. Here is a list of some of the larger, more publicized ones:

>> On March 3, sweeps -- evicting dozens of homeless people -- took place at Pokai Bay and Keaau Beach Park in Waianae.

>> A day earlier, about 100 people were evicted from Oneula Beach Park in Ewa Beach. Police promised to make periodic checks to make sure the homeless did not return.

>> On Feb. 26 the state Department of Transportation evicted about 20 homeless people living under the bridge at the entrance to Wahiawa. The sweep followed months of pressure from community members who said the homeless were using drugs under the bridge and stealing from nearby homes.

>> Just a week earlier, the state Department of Transportation also stepped in to move 15 to 20 homeless people living near Dillingham Airfield after getting reports of children playing in the street. The homeless had lived on a beach at Mokuleia but moved after production of the show "Lost" started in the area.