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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, April 29, 2006

‘Nowhere to go’ but Sand Island for former Ala Moana homeless

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

With their options exhausted, dozens of homeless people displaced from Ala Moana Beach Park last month are planning to march to Sand Island Park on Monday and sleep there until the state is able to provide other accommodations.

State housing officials last week searched for sites to place the homeless people until more permanent accommodations can be made for them. But Linda Smith, Gov. Linda Lingle's chief policy adviser, said last night it is not clear whether that can be done by the end of the weekend.

Monday is a critical day for the homeless. The city instituted park closures at Ala Moana on March 27. Since then, most of the approximately 200 people who had been sleeping there have flocked to Kawaiaha'o Church and Central Union Church, which have been providing shelter and food with the help of other religious groups as well as O'ahu businesses.

Both churches said they have exhausted their resources and will not be able to provide those services beyond this weekend.

"Obviously, that means we have nowhere else to go as of May 1," said Leinati Matautia, a spokeswoman for the newly formed 'Ohana 'O Hawai'i, which is comprised of the homeless and their supporters.

Left with nowhere else to go, the group's leaders "have decided to go forward with our march to Sand Island," Matautia said. People are expected to gather at City Hall at 9 a.m. for the march, she said.

The state has identified at least two temporary locations in the Kaka'ako area but told the group that nothing would likely be available by Monday, she said. "They said they needed at least one or two more days."

Said Smith: "We are continuing to work on our options, but at this present time, I can't say we will have anything definitive on Monday or not. Clearly we understand that Monday is a critical date. That is foremost in our minds."

The state asked Central Union and Kawaiaha'o if they could extend their accommodations for "another week or 10 days," but both said they could not, Smith said.

About nine sites have been under consideration, including some that will need improvements, she said. "These are places that would need to be secure, safe and someplace to sleep, and someplace that has basic sanitation facilities or accommodations nearby."

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.