KAHULUI, Maui — Health and safety concerns at the Kahului Harbor breakwater have moved county officials to notify the homeless community there to clear out by March 29.

Over the past two to three years, the site has become a growing community of 100 to 200 people, including children, living under tarps and in cars, tents and other makeshift shelters. Some are there because they can't afford the island's high rent, but many others say they are living a lifestyle of their choosing.

Maui police and county parks employees posted notices at the homeless encampment yesterday and distributed fliers to about 40 people announcing the closure of the site and asking that all property, including vehicles, be removed. More than 30 other notices were left at campsites and vehicles.

The notices said that anyone who doesn't leave by 6 a.m. March 29 will be arrested for trespassing and any items left behind will be confiscated.

The breakwater area will be closed for a month to eliminate trash, hazardous materials, rodents, abandoned vehicles and other health hazards, the county said.

Dr. Lorrin Pang of the state Department of Health said there was a staph outbreak among the homeless at the breakwater, caused by poor sanitation and lack of running water.

Messes made by loose dogs were another concern, Pang said, and vector-control workers had to place rodent traps at the encampment because of worries about typhus, a disease carried by fleas on mice.

Despite complaints that the shantytown was an eyesore with health and crime problems, Mayor Alan Arakawa had been hesitant to evict the campers, saying they would just move on to other locations, creating similar situations. Arakawa said the central location at the breakwater allowed police to monitor the area, and made it easier for human service agencies to provide assistance and for campers to access jobs and schools.

The Department of Housing and Human Concerns, the Family Life Center and the Ka Hale a Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center have been working with the Kahului Harbor homeless all along. With the impending closure of the breakwater, Arakawa said the agencies have stepped up their efforts to find housing for the campers, especially those with children.

"We are fully aware of the fact that there is a homeless population in that park who deserve to be treated humanely and with respect," the mayor said in a statement.

The mayor said the state Department of Health shares the county's concerns. He said the breakwater will be the first site to be tackled under a new cleanup program for parks with similar health and safety issues.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.