A proposed $10.6 million city project to build a 100-unit affordable housing development in Chinatown that would help chronically homeless people is in jeopardy after facing community opposition.

City officials say they have the land and the money for the project, making it a "one-time opportunity" to address a longtime problem with homeless people in Chinatown — one that appears to be increasing.

However, the officials said they won't move forward with the proposed complex unless Chinatown residents approve it. That probably means the Downtown Neighborhood Board would have to reverse its opposition to the project.

The board voted 6-2 in a special meeting last week against the proposal, which was born out of a 2006 pledge by Mayor Mufi Hannemann to build more affordable housing in Chinatown and address a growing population of homeless people in the neighbor- hood. Opponents of the project say it would put potentially unstable people near schools, parks and other public areas. They also worry it would attract more homeless people.

Supporters say the plan is being quashed by a relatively small group of business owners and residents who are calling for something to be done to get homeless people off Chinatown's streets — but don't want a solution to be built in their neighborhood.

"It's classic 'not in my backyard' stuff," said Tom Smyth, a member of the Downtown Neighborhood Board who voted in favor of the project.

This week, supporters have been circulating petitions in hopes of reviving the project. They also plan to turn out for the Downtown board's monthly meeting tomorrow.

Without support for the project, city officials say they plan to let funding for the development lapse. If a development agreement for the project is not reached by June 2010, about $4.6 million appropriated for the complex will no longer be available.

Debbie Kim Morikawa, city Department of Community Services director, said there are no plans to build the project in another neighborhood. That's largely because the city already owns the property for the proposed Chinatown project, which it bought with federal community development block grants.

"This is really a one-time opportunity," Morikawa said.

She added, "It would be really sad that people who need this kind of help are going to be denied it."

'HOUSING FIRST'

Opposition to the project comes as homelessness in Chinatown appears to be on the rise. Though residents say they are in favor of tackling the problem, some are wary of the city's proposed solution.

The River Street Residences would use a "Housing First" model pioneered on the Mainland that addresses chronic homelessness by getting people into "housing first" and then dealing with their other problems. Advocates argue it's easier to help people deal with substance abuse or get someone mental health care if they have a place to live.

But some Chinatown residents say that having people with untreated problems concentrated in one place will create trouble.

Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock, president of the Chinatown Business & Community Association, said business owners and residents wouldn't oppose the project if it targeted a more diverse population, including families and the elderly.

"Mostly the community was opposed to it being a specialized chronic homeless facility," she said. "It will create a situation of slumming the area, not revitalizing it."

She added that residents "feel like Chinatown has been used too long for a dumping ground."

Frank Lavoie, Downtown Neighborhood Board chairman, said there are concerns the development will attract more homeless.

"The funny thing is, the people who were supporting it were mostly people who didn't live in Chinatown," he said, adding that opposition from residents was "overwhelming."

SUPPORTERS RALLY

Supporters of the project say such fears are unfounded.

"Here's a solution that takes at least 100 people off the streets," said Marya Grambs, executive director of Mental Health America of Hawai'i. "That's going to improve the neighborhood ... not make things worse."

Pamela Menter, chairwoman of Partners in Care, a consortium of service providers to the homeless, said the Housing First model has succeeded across the country. The method is already being used by some programs in Hawai'i to help the chronically homeless, though to a lesser degree than the proposed River Street project.

Menter added that she hopes more education about the model will help turn community sentiment.

"People need to know about the River Street Residences," she said.

The River Street project was designed to target the chronically homeless because they are a significant portion of the homeless population in the urban core. The term "chronically homeless" refers to people who have been on the streets for a year or more. They often have mental health or substance abuse problems that prevent them from securing shelter.

COUNTING HOMELESS

A city-commissioned count of homeless people released in May found that about 45 percent of homeless people in the urban core are chronically homeless. The study, which counted the number of homeless people spotted on the streets at a "point in time," also found the number of homeless people from Salt Lake to Hawai'i Kai increased 30 percent since 2007 — from 435 people to 566.

The city said the proposed River Street project would assist the urban homeless, especially those in Chinatown.

City plans called for the project to have studio- and one-bedroom rental units for individuals, couples and small families. It would provide long-term housing and offer 24-hour support services and security.

The proposed location for the project — 1311 River St. — is near where a turf war over the distribution of cocaine erupted into violence in late March, when a 35-year-old man was fatally shot. A week later, a man was stabbed just yards away on River Street, apparently in retaliation for the killing.

The violence raised concerns among those who live and work in Chinatown.

Smyth, of the neighborhood board, said he thinks the project would make the area safer, not more dangerous, and potentially drive out criminal activity from River Street. Of the area right now, he said, "it's super unsafe."

He added that housing projects like the one proposed are "very safe places."

"They have security guards. They have lights. They have cameras."