For many of those ending up homeless, advocates say it has been the result of rising rents or losing their income through welfare reform.

The numbers have at least brought more awareness to the issue, and that sets the stage for progress, advocates say.

"I think we are going to be able to take a giant leap into where we want to be and the reason for that is that there's a driving force right now that is apparently working well in terms of all branches of government, even with the mayor's little gesture of letting the homeless be in certain parks and certain property," Placencia said.

That's what Sandra Miyoshi, homeless project coordinator for HCDCH, is hoping for.

After four years of laying groundwork for programs that would help people out of homelessness, as well as prevent others from falling into it, she is optimistic the programs will get the boost they need.

"These initiatives have been on the books for a while. We believe very strongly in them, but we've never had the resources to develop them further," she said.

However, for the first time in the 10 years she has been working in the field, she feels policymakers are focusing on the issue enough to make a difference, provided that affordable housing units are created.

CALL TO TRIPLE FUNDING

Laura E. Thielen, of the Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance, said policymakers are starting to recognize the problem because it has reached the point where everyone can see it.

The homeless were mostly out of sight five or 10 years ago, but "now we're seeing them in places that we've never seen them before, like Kailua and Pearl City," she said. "All the areas that did not have a large population are saying, 'Wait a minute, they're actually coming into our area.' "

Lynn Maunakea, who until a few months ago was executive director at the Institute for Human Services, said the most apparent progress has been in developing more awareness of homelessness among government officials, which has led to a request to triple the funding directed at homeless initiatives to at least $20 million.

"That's almost a first-time effort ... to have an increase in the budget," Maunakea said. For several years, funding directed at homeless programs has languished around $6.5 million.

The increased funding is not set in stone, however.

Sen. Brian Taniguchi, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said the Legislature is open to discussing the specific details of how the $20 million would be spent.

The request of $10 million for renovations at existing shelters comes with a list of projects, but little information has been provided about how another $10 million would be used to increase services, he said.

Taniguchi said he has heard from some providers that rather than give $10 million at once, it might be better to space it out in smaller amounts over a number of years. However, as it stands, the $10 million is pretty much intact, he said.

"We're open to discussion about how (Gov. Linda Lingle) wants to proceed," he said.

'WE CAN'T LET GO NOW'

The additional funding is key to moving forward quickly, both Lingle and Stephanie Aveiro, executive director of the HCDCH, emphasized at a homeless meeting on Thursday, as they urged advocates to lobby legislators to approve the money.

"We cannot let go now. These bills are going before the money committees now," Aveiro said. "We can lose it all if we're not there to the very end."

Placencia said there is new momentum, with various groups stepping forward — not just the government and social service agencies, but communities and churches, as well.

Part of the reason is that now people have a more compassionate view toward the homeless, because it no longer appears to be just an alcohol, mental health or drug issue, Placencia said.

Today's homeless person could very well have a job, but not one that pays enough to cover rent. "More and more, the working poor are coming forward to say 'We don't have a place to live anymore,' " Placencia said.

Bit by bit, service providers and faith-based groups are setting up "one-stop shops" to consolidate social services, expand the number of shelter beds and help get more families into homes.

But many say what is really needed is more housing, or at least "safe havens" where the homeless can set up camp and receive services so that they can make the transition into permanent housing.

Trying to open up more beds can be daunting, however.

Ann Walenta, project coordinator for the expansion of the Ohana Ola O Kahumana transitional program, said it has taken eight years to begin construction on 34 units that will bring the shelter's capacity to 200 residents.

Delays in getting permits forced her to scale back the project. Meanwhile, construction costs rose and she was in danger of losing her funding.

"It was at times heartbreaking," she said. "What kept me going was thinking, 'If there's one more thing I can do to keep this thing alive, I'll do it.' "

Perseverance and the willingness of Iida Contracting to help keep the project affordable finally allowed the construction to proceed.

Now the units are scheduled to be finished by the end of the year, but she will have to go back and seek new funding for the community center she had to cut out of the original plans.

However, she is thrilled just to have the project off the ground.

"It's really exciting to me after eight years to see something actually happen," she said.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.