For every irate resident who complains that "the homeless" have taken over our parks and beaches, feels unsafe and believes government should "do something," there's another who decries a heartless government, unsympathetic to the needs of "the homeless," who believes people should be allowed to camp without a permit on public land because of the lack of affordable housing.

The reality is that this emotional debate ignores the complexity of the situation. At the very least, "the homeless" cannot be categorized as a homo-genous group.

There are those who, for whatever reasons, have fallen on hard times and are doing everything possible to improve their situations. These are often the faces featured in the news media, people whose stories of personal hardship and misfortune are heart-wrenching.

Then there are people living on the beaches and in the parks who choose this as a lifestyle and find it easier to simply "survive" rather than finding a part-time, minimum-wage job that really doesn't afford them much. Some believe it is their right to live on public lands.

Others suffer from mental illnesses. They do not see the world as we do; some hear voices in their heads telling them to distrust everyone. We also live in a world where many have become victims of drug and alcohol abuse, some seemingly beyond reach, not able or willing to accept help.

No one solution can solve it all. It's simply impossible. But that does not mean we can't or shouldn't act.

One group hard at work is Partners in Care, a consortium whose members include homeless service providers, city, state and federal agencies, social service agencies, businesses and other organizations dedicated to addressing homelessness on O'ahu.

The organization supports legislation and facilitates the securing of funds directed to services to people who are homeless, and works to increase public awareness and education. This group, of which the city is a member, has taken a "housing first" approach. The emphasis is on the development of more "housing" to move people who are "houseless" (those who have the skills and resources to seek and maintain housing) into affordable units, thus opening up space in our transitional and emergency shelters for those in need of more intense, supportive services before entering the mainstream of society.

This is an ideal, long-range strategy and one that the city wholeheartedly supports. But that's in our future; what about now?

First, we must stop stereotyping "the homeless." We are talking about people without a permanent place of residence who cannot and should not be placed into neat categories. People become homeless for many different reasons. As a result, there is no one answer because the issue is multifaceted.

We must address each individual based on his or her particular need and willingness to accept help. When we are allowed to intervene, we should provide as much support as we are able. When we cannot, we must strive to be creative in helping people to see the benefits of exercising different options and accepting the help that is being offered.

So while we're hard at work creating affordable, transitional, and special-needs housing, we must also find ways to provide for the basic needs of individuals. We need to figure out how to make the basic amenities that we take for granted available, like having access to a shower, toiletry items and a dry towel to maintain good hygiene, or being able access a clothing bank to have clean clothes to change into.

And while food is one part of the solution, especially for our homeless seniors, sometimes what is really needed is somewhere to use the bathroom when the need arises.

The city has been in discussions with community members and service providers to address just this. That's not to say we don't continue to support housing initiatives. However we cannot disregard that people have these basic needs.

We must continue to explore those creative ideas emerging from our different communities and organizations and not dismiss any efforts by these groups to support viable initiatives. We must also be responsible to our communities and make sure that whatever is proposed can be implemented in a safe and unobtrusive manner.

It's going to take everyone in our community, working together to help the individuals who have fallen to the bottom of our society, regain some of their dignity and determination to improve their lives. This is a complex problem with many issues and polarized opinions.

But we believe that with the community's help and with the public's patience, the solutions are within reach.

Debbie Morikawa, former director of the Institute for Human Services, is director of the city Department of Community Services.