The city has put on hold a downtown Honolulu housing project for the formerly homeless, with some units for the severely mentally ill, opposed by community members who say it is not what the city originally proposed.

“;Having the seriously mentally ill adjacent to temples and schools is not the correct mix,”; said Victor Lim, who represents the Lum Society, which owns the building at River and Kukui streets, and the Tin Hau Temple, a Taoist temple.

Lim said he found out about it a month ago, and many in the Chinese community are opposed to it.

The River Street Residences proposed for 1311 River St., a city-owned property, would provide 100 studio and one-bedroom rental units for single adults, couples and small families, including 40 percent for the seriously mentally ill. The other 60 percent would be for people transitioning from homelessness.

The project came up at the Downtown Neighborhood Board meeting last night at the Pauahi Community Center.

“;We are not violent people,”; said John Scherer, who suffers from mental disabilities and sleeps on the steps of the county morgue. He said the project would benefit him and others like him who have been refused housing and suffer discrimination.

“;We can be thrown out of housing like a piece of trash,”; he said.

Downtown Neighborhood Board member Lynne Matusow said the city made no mention that 40 percent of the 100-unit project would be for people with “;severe and persistent mental illness”; when the city came to the board in March.

However, the project was proposed in response to community concerns about the mentally ill homeless in the downtown area, said Debbie Kim Morikawa, director of the city Department of Community Services. There had been discussion of housing the disabled, which includes the mentally ill, so the community should have been aware, Morikawa said.

She said the project is on hold while community concerns are addressed, and would take at the earliest 18 months from the time a request for proposal is issued by the city.

Morikawa said the project was proposed to work on the root of the problems by helping to get the mentally ill homeless off the streets and into housing. She said most of the mentally ill are loners who do not really interact with others but might cause people to feel uncomfortable.

The facility will have rules to prohibit people from hanging around outside and dealing drugs. Any illicit activities would be reported by staff members, who will be monitoring the area, she said.

Matusow, who lives in the area, said it is a residential neighborhood with several high-rises and many children who go to Central Middle School. She said the area has enough facilities to treat or help the mentally ill.

“;We have these people hanging around down here, and we don't need to have a bigger concentration,”; she said. “;I'd rather keep the prostitutes.”;