It's not that far from Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Käneohe Bay to an emergency homeless shelter on Sumner Street in Honolulu, but John Meadows took the long way.

It's a yearslong journey the former Marine lance corporal never thought he'd make, one marred by substance abuse and now, life on the streets.

There he was on Thursday, just before lunch at the facility run by the Institute for Human Services.

Meadows, 44, is among the estimated 600 to 700 veterans in Hawaii who are homeless on any given night.

He's been clean and sober for seven years now. But even he doesn't understand why he ended up with no place to live.

"I had a guy in Waikíkí ask me, 'You were in the military?' And I said yes. And he said, 'I don't understand why you're homeless.' And I told him stuff happens. It's kind of embarrassing to be homeless. I've never been homeless. But now I am. And I couldn't answer him."

A plan to end homelessness among military veterans was announced last week by Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.

On hearing about the plan, Meadows smiled ever so slightly.

"It would be a great thing if they could do it — just for them to think of us," he said. "Because there are a lot of us out here who are homeless. I don't expect handouts. But for those who did serve, and who are now homeless, it would help. And we do need help."

NUMBERS MAY RISE

Shinseki has no illusions about the difficulty of the task.

About one-third of all adult homeless men and nearly one-fifth of all homeless adults served in the military. About 3 percent of the overall homeless population served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Because of the economy, the VA says the number of homeless vets may increase up to 15 percent over the next five years.

Shinseki noted that veterans lead the nation in rates of homelessness, depression, substance abuse and suicide. The rate of unemployment among vets is also extraordinarily high.

But realizing these facts provides a foundation from which to strike at the problem before it begins, Shinseki said.

The ambitious, multibillion-dollar plan to end veterans' homelessness within five years comes with an unusually powerful connection with the Islands.

Shinseki, born and raised in Hawaii, made the announcement Tuesday to 1,200 VA officials, other government representatives and homeless service providers at the three-day VA National Summit on Ending Homelessness Among Veterans. On Thursday, the final day of the summit, Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary of the VA and a McKinley High School and University of Hawaii graduate, echoed Shinseki's commitment and excitement for the plan — which has the full backing of the president, Hawaii's own Barack Obama.

CLEAR MESSAGE

Rick Velasquez, VA Homeless Programs director in Hawaii, who attended the summit in Washington, said that while the goal is daunting, he thinks it can be achieved.

"What this conference showed me is that the people at the top levels of the federal agencies — I mean these are people who are in President Obama's Cabinet — were speaking here and saying that the president has made it clear that he doesn't think there should be any homeless veterans on the street," said Velasquez.

"He thinks that's unacceptable in a country as rich as ours."

The plan calls for the VA to spend more than $3 billion next year alone to begin trimming the estimated 130,000 homeless veterans in America to zero in half a decade.

That estimate is down from 195,000 homeless veterans six years ago. Hawaii's numbers have likewise decreased in the last few years.

But Shinseki said those gains could be lost to the economic recession if government agencies and homeless outreach organizations don't work in unison to form strong partnerships to tackle the problem. Shinseki said preventing vets from becoming homeless in the first place would be a high priority.

"One big focus in Hawaii is to make sure that people don't end up in homelessness," said Velasquez. "So we're making contacts with the prisons and jails to make sure that people who are leaving don't end up homeless, and then going back."

'THERE'S A REASON'

Assisting on the homelessness frontlines in Hawaii is retired Marine Sgt. Major Allan J. Kellogg, a flint-hard leatherneck who retired from the military at age 47 in 1990. For the past 15 years Kellogg, a Medal of Honor recipient, has worked with the VA Homeless Programs office. Last week, Kellogg said he would be glad to talk to Meadows, who served under him, to point out what the VA can do to assist.

Kellogg also said he'd tell it to him straight.

"I'm a realist. I've got a sign in my office that says, 'There's a reason why you're homeless,' " said Kellogg. "But, if he needs help in any areas that have to do with the VA, whatever it might be, he can come and see me. I'll do what I can for him."

Like Meadows, Navy veterans Clarence Woodhouse, 65, and Charles Wagner Jr., 53, are homeless in Hawaii. Both are trying to find work so they can afford a place to live. So far, they've had little luck. After learning about Shinseki's plan on Thursday, the two endorsed the idea as a positive step. Wagner called the move "admirable."

"It's a good feeling just to hear it," added Woodhouse. "I've met a lot of veterans who didn't know how to go about getting help."

Now, that could change.

"First, we want to make sure that the word gets out that we are trying to locate and identify homeless veterans," said Velasquez. "The second thing is to make sure homeless veterans know what they are eligible for, and that they can actually access all the services. And the third thing is to make sure there is some kind of permanent housing for them to go to."

Velasquez said the Shinseki plan will mean more money for programs such as U.S. Vets, one of the VA's biggest partners in Hawaii. The stated goal of U.S. Vets is "to provide safe, sober, clinically supported housing and employment assistance for homeless veterans."

Rent aid is among the help it provides.

Right now 105 previously homeless veterans have Section 8 rent relief vouchers in the state, Velasquez said. The Shinseki initiative means more will receive rent assistance in the future, he said.

KALAELOA HOUSING

Wade Itagaki, 53, a formerly homeless Army veteran, lives in the U.S. Vets' Building 34 in Kalaeloa under a permanent housing for disabled veterans grant, which means he pays 30 percent of the total $900 rent for his small efficiency apartment. The remaining 70 percent of the rent is paid by the federal government. Itagaki, who lost his left leg to complications from diabetes and uses a motorized wheelchair, is hopeful the Shinseki plan will bring financial assistance to more homeless veterans.

But he worries about his friend, Wallace DeRego, 72, a Navy veteran in failing health, who receives too much Social Security to qualify for the same assistance as his own. Itagaki fears that vets like DeRego, who has lived at the Kalaeloa facility for six years, could fall through the cracks.

DeRego says he was informed about a week ago that his rent would be raised from $485 a month to $900.

"They nearly doubled my rent," said DeRego, who served in Asia in the 1950s for most of the 10 years he was in the Navy.

Officials in Hawaii acquainted with DeRego said the VA is trying to move the veteran from his transitional unit to a care facility where his health needs can be better met. They also said they do not evict veterans.

Still, DeRego's situation illustrates some of the challenges facing the VA in dealing with the touchy issue of veteran homelessness.

DeRego said he hopes Shinseki's plan is successful. For now, though, he can't see much in it for himself. On Thursday he continued to pack his belongings in anticipation of being kicked out.

Where would he go?

"I don't have any relatives I can live with," he said. "So, I'll be living under the nearest kiawe tree."

Chuck Patterson, property manager for Cloudbreak Hawaii, which oversees the three buildings that provide housing and services for veterans in Kalaeloa, disputed DeRego's account.

Patterson said DeRego was offered a rent lower than $900, which would have been subsidized by Cloudbreak. But he said DeRego turned the offer down, saying he planned on moving in with another guy in the building.

"He was never told to pay the $900 or be evicted," said Patterson. "We're not in the business of putting anybody on the street."