Homeless crisis requires focus

The Honolulu City Council appears poised to take a scattershot approach to solving the island’s homelessness problem rather than the focused, immediate action that a crisis of this magnitude demands.

Council Chairman Ernest Martin told fellow members on Tuesday that he wants to do more to address the issue than what is now in the Council’s proposed budget, and that resolve should be applauded. However, he and others among Council leadership — including the budget chairwoman, Ann Kobaya-shi — seems reticent about committing to a policy that’s been proven to be the most cost-effective and humane.

That is the Housing First concept — a strategy that puts a premium on getting the chronically homeless stable shelter before tackling the clients’ other needs — and the unenthusiastic response is inexplicable. The Council cut the administration’s $18.9 million budget request for Housing First down to $8.2 million, with the rest diverted to assorted other projects.

Now Martin has added in $32 million to the capital improvement project budget, asserting that the language gives Mayor Kirk Caldwell enough leeway to apply it to Housing First. But there are a few things wrong. For one, Martin proposes that the money come from the special fund underwriting the mayor’s aggressive program of road repairs.

Chris Takashige, who last week was finishing up as the city’s design and construction director before taking a state position, said the funds would reduce the repaving budget by a quarter. This means that all projects scheduled for 2016 and beyond would be put on hold, he said, and the longer they’re delayed, the less bang for the buck the city would get. The accelerating pace of development islandwide is kicking up bid prices for all construction projects, he added.

It would be far better for the Council, when it finalizes its budget this week, to restore the mayor’s requested funds and ensure that the money comes from the city’s Affordable Housing Fund.

Further, it’s unclear whether the money could even be used to pay the rental of existing units to house the homeless, which is the essence of Housing First and allows for a speedier solution.

The revised draft of the budget bill reserves the funds for "acquisition, development and/or renovation of facilities to relocate home- less individuals and families from parks, facilities and other public areas to emergency, transitional and/or permanent housing."

It adds that, "Priority consideration shall be given to working homeless and homeless families with children," but without further definition, that attempt at prioritization seems meaningless.

What does deserve priority is a one-two punch that combines services to the most vulnerable homeless with enforcement of rules preserving the cleanliness and the public access to Honolulu parks and sidewalks. This means redoubling efforts at enforcing laws on the books and considering new proposals to restrict sitting or lying on sidewalks and ban public urination and defecation.

There should be more public bathrooms in key areas, such as the three proposed for Waikiki and Chinatown. And proposals to provide others by partnering with the visitor industry deserve prompt attention.

Anyone who has spent time talking with business executives from that industry knows that the homelessness crisis is eroding Honolu-lu’s appeal as a visitor destination. It also telegraphs a message of uncaring, which is not something the Aloha State should embrace.

The Council should provide oversight of all the city’s efforts to curb this problem, but solutions that can provide relief quickly are the ones that need its endorsement.