EDITORIAL
Shrinking options for Honolulu's homeless

It's not illegal to be homeless in Honolulu, but it might as well be.

The city is keeping up its campaign to drive the homeless out of downtown streets and parks. With 'A'ala Park near Chinatown now off limits to the homeless, many are migrating to Ala Moana Beach Park, which is open to the public 24 hours a day.

However, a ban against camping or sleeping in public places means the homeless can't snooze in the park, and if they do, they can expect to be rousted by round-the-clock police patrols on all-terrain vehicles.

The shelters are crammed, and the homeless certainly aren't welcome at the Fort Street Mall, where city crews recently removed benches and declared the mall closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

It's illegal to camp on the beach without permits, although many do. An option sometimes available on the Mainland — inexpensive trailer parks and campgrounds — simply doesn't exist here.

And portions of Honolulu International Airport, where homeless people used to sleep, have been closed. Meanwhile, panhandling or begging is considered disorderly conduct. Those who feed the homeless must obtain a city permit. Three citations for violating any of these ordinances can result in jail.

You can sugarcoat this all you want, but what it boils down to is the virtual criminalization of homelessness.

Now, the last thing we want is drunk or drug-abusing transients harassing people in parks and monopolizing the restrooms, and so we appreciate the need to crack down on disorderly public conduct. We also recognize that there are vagabonds and mentally ill people who shun shelters because they are more comfortable living outdoors or cannot handle shelter living.

But for every homeless person loitering or sleeping out in plain sight, there are at least 10 hidden away in niches. They include women, children and elderly folks. Whether we like it or not, these people exist and they need a safe haven.

Besides, if the homeless keep getting pushed east, they'll end up in the park district's crown jewel: Kapi'olani Park. And that would be disastrous from a tourism standpoint.

Laura Thielen of Health Care for the Homeless suggests the city build drop-in centers such as the ones that have been developed in New York City. This way, travelers and the homeless could get off the streets for a few hours, shower, rest and catch a few hours sleep, no strings attached.

That's a good idea. Instead of pretending they don't exist, let's build the homeless more places where they can sort themselves out. Some might even land a job and affordable housing, and that benefits us all.