Homeless count but a tool toward more coordination

State leaders and social service agencies cheered the latest Point in Time Count’s figures, which tallied 7,220 homeless individuals statewide, marking a 9 percent drop from last year’s head count and the first such decrease in eight years. There were pats on the back for efforts of the state and city, nonprofit groups and others; and well-deserved kudos for tenacious outreach workers who try to help the homeless get off the streets and into shelter and housing.

Now, less than a week after the results were released, the celebrating is winding down and the Sisyphean task of ending homelessness in the islands continues amid questions about the accuracy in pinpointing Oahu’s south shore figures.

On Oahu, 19 more people were counted this year — for a total of 4,959 people living on the streets or encamped in hillside brush and elsewhere. The islandwide number is holding steady due to increases in a few areas previously thought to be under-reported — Upper Windward Oahu (up 122.4 percent) and Wahiawa to the North Shore (up 74.2 percent) — countered by a supposed drop in Waikiki to East Honolulu (down 29 percent).

That reduction meant that 129 fewer homeless people were living along that south shore stretch in January compared with the year before. Sheila Beckham, Waikiki Health’s CEO, has valid reasons for doubting such dramatic improvement.

Waikiki Health, with its Care-A-Van and staff of social workers, has conducted some three decades of outreach in the area. Beckham said: “It took a lot of time to find the homeless encampments by climbing around and finding the caves. It took years of building trust.”

The nonprofit, which had participated in the annual nationwide count for years, sat out this year’s census after losing its state contract to provide services to the homeless, which was instead awarded to the Institute for Human Services in February. While it’s encouraging to see a boost in volunteers, with more than 500 helping with the headcount required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), it’s equally frustrating to see a valuable player like Waikiki Health sidelined in such an important effort. If anything, the homeless problem is so large that it should increase coordination, not divisiveness.

Another puzzling finding: Oahu’s homeless veterans count is up by 9 percent, to 449 from 413. Back in September, a hefty drop in homeless vet numbers was reported for the first half of 2016. That led an adviser for New York-based nonprofit group Community Solutions, which is helping government and nonprofits pro bono to reduce island homelessness, tagged Oahu as on-pace to become one of the first communities to meet a new standard set by the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness.

Since June 2014, more than 880 mayors as well as city and county officials and governors have joined the federal initiative’s call to commit to ensuring every veteran has a home. So far, some 40 communities and three states — Connecticut, Delaware and Virginia — have succeeded, said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell candidly asserted last week that the challenge is ongoing, with a training session for outreach workers assisting homeless vets set for early June. Also, the city can take some consolation in that since joining the Mayors Challenge in January 2015 to last month, 1,009 Oahu homeless veterans have been housed. That certainly puts a dent in a daunting problem.

Earlier this month, state lawmakers helped make sure that efforts will continue by setting aside funding for homeless programs totaling $16.6 million for 2018 — well above the $12 million spent in 2017. They also earmarked about $4 million for 2019, and advocates will have a chance to push for more money next year.

Two years ago, the Point in Time measure showed Hawaii had the highest per capita rate of homelessness in the nation. While clearly more of a gauge than an actual pinpointing of the problem, such counts are useful to get a handle on the scope of homelessness and the taxpayer price tag for tackling it. For the sake of accuracy, here’s hoping that future head counts will include all hands — every skilled and experienced nonprofit, agency and volunteer.