Saying the city wants to be "a part of the solution," Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced yesterday that another area would be opened to accommodate dozens of homeless forced to leave Ala Moana Beach Park.

However, the grassy knoll above the Honolulu Police Department's Alapa'i Street parking structure — commonly known as Sister Roberta Park — will not open until tonight, to give the city time to move in portable toilets.

That meant that for the second night in a row, the displaced homeless made the sidewalks surrounding Honolulu Hale their home, setting up tents, lawn chairs and tarps on the corner of Punchbowl and King streets.

Hannemann's announcement followed a meeting with church leaders and homeless advocates. They said that the city's temporary solution is a start but that there is much more to be done.

"(Hannemann) is offering a workable solution for the Ala Moana people," the Rev. Bob Nakata, pastor of Kahaluu United Methodist Church, said after the meeting. "But I don't know if it is enough to cover 200 people."

Nakata hopes that this plan will be the impetus for more permanent solutions.

"This could be the push that gets everything rolling," he said.

The mayor said he would open the HPD grassy area "on a short-term, interim basis" since the homeless "obviously have no other place to go." The area will be available between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. starting tonight, he said.

Hannemann stressed that the use of the park is a temporary fix and that he is looking toward state government and the governor to lead the way to a permanent solution.

"If we are going to make a meaningful impact statewide (on the homeless problem), the state must lead. The state has the resources; we don't. We are willing to be a part of the solution," he said.

Utuloa Langi, executive director of the H-5 program—Hawaii Helping the Hungry Have Hope — said he "respected" the mayor's solution.

"Yesterday (the city) was acting like a big bully, but today they show like they are working toward something," Langi said after the mayor's meeting with advocates for the homeless.

Sister Roberta Park is not an official city park, said Hannemann, which allows him to open the area legally to the homeless.

The estimated 200 homeless who live in Ala Moana Beach Park marched on Honolulu Hale Monday night after the city began closing the park between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. daily for a month for renovations.

About 40 homeless people slept overnight Monday through yesterday in front of Honolulu Hale. They were expected to do so again last night, Nakata said.

About a dozen homeless kept vigil in front of City Hall throughout the day, even under steady rain. Nakata said he suspected that many made their way back to Ala Moana Beach Park but would likely leave again at nightfall.

Hannemann denied yesterday that displacing the homeless had anything to do with the city's Centennial Carnival planned for this weekend at Magic Island.

Shane Palakiko, 32, has lived in Ala Moana Beach Park for the past three years. He said Sister Roberta Park is probably inadequate for the number of homeless who sleep in Ala Moana Beach Park.

The area is about the size of two football fields, according to one estimate.

"It's something for now, but in the long run I don't think it's comfortable, especially when you have to travel to take a shower," Palakiko said.

Mio Sapolu, 47, said he has lived in Ala Moana Beach Park off and on since 2001 and he didn't think its closure at night solved anything.

"All it did was move us around," he said.

"If we can't stay in the park, where are we supposed to go?"

Elizabeth Stevenson, director of development and communications at the Institute for Human Services, said an extra 40 people sought shelter Monday night, as compared to Sunday. But she was unsure how much of that could be attributed to the park closure, since the shelter typically sees increases at the end of the month.

"This is just bad timing all around for them to be doing it," she said. "People run out of whatever little money they have from their checks and it turns out we're already full to capacity."

Although the city has dealt with the immediate problem, Hannemann spokesman Bill Brennan said the state has better expertise and resources to deal with the long-term issues, such as the state Department of Health with its mental health and substance abuse services, as well as a $600 million state surplus.

However, Brennan added: "I'm not saying the city doesn't have any responsibility in dealing with the homeless."

For example, the city helps fund the Institute for Human Services, Hale Kipa and other agencies that serve the homeless.

"That's the city's role," he said. "We pass federal money on to the people who have the expertise."

Linda Smith, Gov. Linda Lingle's policy adviser, said the state will be drawing on the city's aid, along with that of social service and private agencies, as the state hosts a homeless solutions meeting tomorrow to find some immediate answers.

"Clearly we recognize that one of the pressing issues is capacity," Smith said, noting that not only more shelters are needed, but also more social workers and service providers to staff them.

There are 26 emergency and transitional shelters across the state, with an estimated total of 1,000 beds. The homeless population is estimated at 6,000.

The meeting's agenda includes working with shelters to make sure all their beds are usable.

If the facilities need repair and maintenance, Smith said, the state will see what it can do to get them operational immediately.

In addition, "we'll work with them in identifying additional facilities that they know of and they can staff to expand the number of beds," she said.

Meanwhile, the city and state can determine whether there are public facilities that can be used to provide immediate shelter.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com and Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.