Posted on: Friday, February 14, 2003

Stop playing musical chairs with homeless

We hate to sound like a broken record, but how can the homeless magically disappear from Ala Moana Beach Park when there's nowhere for them to go?

Of course, it's awful that some — not all — trash the restrooms, get intoxicated and harass passers-by. After all, it's a public space intended for everyone's enjoyment.

So we can appreciate to some extent the city's campaign to clean up the park and temporarily evict the homeless in the process.

But again, where does the city expect them to go? The issue deserves a compassionate and practical approach rather than criminalizing homelessness — or simply expecting it to fade away.

It's our guess that many of those who have set up camp in Ala Moana Beach Park used to hang out at 'A'ala Park, or Fort Street Mall, before they became off limits.

And if they moved east once, they'll do it again, perhaps relocating to Kapi'olani Park. That would undoubtedly distress the luxury hotels on the Diamond Head side of Waikiki, where guests are paying big bucks for views of golden sand, blue ocean and lush greenery, not people lugging their worldly possessions in shopping carts.

Ultimately, Ala Moana Beach Park's homeless colony is a symptom of a larger problem. We don't have the shelter space or programs to accommodate our burgeoning homeless population, which is estimated at around 13,000. And there just doesn't appear to be the political will to fund more shelters or drop-in centers.

Like everyone else, the homeless need a place to sleep, clean up, store their stuff and hang out at certain times of the day. At a shelter or drop-in center, they can meet social service providers who can hook them up with affordable housing, jobs and drug or alcohol treatment.

There will always be those who prefer to camp out in a park or the beach and get drunk and raucous. And the police can deal with them with the laws that are on the books. What we'd like to see are more options for those who really want to get off the streets.