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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, April 7, 2007

N. Shore homeless numbers climbing

StoryChat: Comment on this story

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

Ron Valenciana, pastor of Once-A-Month Church, greets a recipient of a bag of free food, given by Valenciana's assistant, Mimi.

DEBORAH BOOKER | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Paul Kaululaau, who lives in a van near Hale'iwa Boat Harbor, says that people who "make like they're homeless" are attracting police attention, making it harder for the real homeless.

JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser

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The homeless population in the North Shore, though small compared with Wai'anae and Honolulu, is growing, according to advocates who are concerned about what they say is a disturbing trend.

"There's a growing population of homeless people out here including children, even senior citizens that are being displaced," said Ron Valenciana, pastor of Once-a-Month Church, which provides food, medical attention and other services to the homeless during a monthly service at Hale'iwa Beach Park. "We average 400 to 500 per event and we give out 250 food bags."

A count conducted by volunteers in February on behalf of the city tallied 250 homeless people. But the manager of the count, Sadrian "Brother Sage" Chee, pastor of the Ohana, Family of the Living God Church, said the number could be as high as 400.

Chee said a count two years before showed a population of 100, although the results were skewed because it was done on a Thursday, when city parks are closed and homeless people scatter to other areas.

"If I count everybody that's surfing couches out here, then we would be hitting some really high numbers," Chee said.

Complicating the count, he said, is the area's hills, bunkers and mountains where homeless go, from Mokule'ia to Kahuku.

Valenciana said he sees the problem growing.

When the church outreach began three years ago, 300 people attended, he said, adding that not everyone who seeks assistance is homeless. Now it's 400 to 500 people, including seniors on fixed incomes, immigrants and low-income families, he said.

Valenciana also operates a food bank out of his North Shore News office, giving away about 125 to 150 bags of food each Wednesday. About 2 1/2 years ago, he started with about 100 bags a week.

The homeless problem on the North Shore has grown slowly but that could change as housing costs increase, development expands and the homeless are pushed out of other communities such as Honolulu and Wai'anae, said Darlene Hein, program director for the Waikiki Health Center's Care-A-Van.

The health center provides a medical clinic at Lili'uokalani Church in Hale'iwa on Tuesdays and Thursdays, treating about 25 to 40 people a day, Hein said.

"As the population of homeless grows in an area, we tend to want to push them out and say this is not a great place for you to get services," she said. "We need to understand that they're a part of that community and many of them have lived in that community most of their lives. We need to look at how we can assist them to live in that community."

The area also has few services for the homeless, who must travel to Wahiawa or Honolulu to get help. But the cost of the bus ride alone can be a roadblock, Hein said.

Paul Kaululaau, 52, who is living out of a van next to Hale'iwa Boat Harbor, was on the lookout this week for police officers who had warned him of a homeless sweep through the area.

He said police will tow cars without current registrations or safety inspection papers. He worries about police attention that's drawn to the area by people who go there to party and leave their junked cars, Kaululaau said.

"There's people who come here and make like they're homeless," he said. "They stay overnight and they drink. They make it worse for us."

One possible solution is being attempted by a group of Christian churches that has planned a new facility at Uluwehi, a gated complex in Wai'anae that will include transitional housing, affordable rental units and an emergency shelter.

Pastor Wade "Boo" Soares of Wai'anae Christian Fellowship said talks are under way between the Hawaii Coalition of Christian Churches and a group of North Shore churches to build a permanent facility on the North Shore.

The group broke ground last year on Uluwehi, which is on state land and was once a part of a model community built in 1974. The complex fell into disrepair and had to be demolished.

Soares said the North Shore project is long term and may take years to develop.

"We're coming in because of the knowledge we have gained ... helping them with the situation they have," Soares said. "We're not creating another welfare system. That's not what it's about. We're not into enabling people to continue to be homeless."

Valenciana knows a permanent social services structure will take years to develop. In the meantime, he's looking for a piece of land where homeless people can stay on occasion.

"Ideally, I'd like to find a piece of property where we could allow them to come in, be safe, feel secure and have a good night's sleep without anyone bothering them or having the threat of police pushing them out," he said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.