Question: If a homeless veteran qualifies for Housing First and gets an apartment, does it last forever? I mean, does the stipend last forever, or is there a time limit for how long you can stay in the apartment before you have to start paying for it on your own?

Answer: The Housing First concept does not impose a self-sufficiency deadline on clients, whether the program serves homeless veterans or the broader homeless population. The philosophy’s guiding principle is to get chronically homeless people into housing first and then deal with the disabling conditions such as alcoholism, drug addiction and mental illness that helped drive them to the streets in the first place.

“Regardless of veteran status, city Housing First clients are placed into permanent supportive housing until they no longer require that standard of care, subject to the City Council approving budget requests to fund the program each year. There is no time limit for program participants,” said Jay Parasco, the Oahu municipal government’s homeless initiatives coordinator.

To qualify for Housing First, a client must be considered to be experiencing chronic homelessness and score higher than 10 on the Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool, he said.

The VI-SPDAT is a triage tool designed to be used by all homeless outreach agencies in the community so that providers can quickly gauge the needs of homeless individuals and match them with appropriate services.

It includes a precise series of about 50 questions that assess, among other things, how long the person has been homeless; their overall mental and physical health, including the risk that they will harm themselves or others; involvement in high-risk or exploitative situations; interactions with emergency services; history of substance abuse; and other factors of their daily existence. The worse the person’s condition, the higher his or her VI-SPDAT score and the more urgent the intervention.

You can learn more about the city’s Housing First initiative at 808ne.ws/1TOq4wP.

Honolulu also is participating in the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. As of March 31 the city has helped provide shelter, housing or services to 638 veterans since Mayor Kirk Caldwell accepted the Challenge in 2015, Parasco said. For more information, see 808ne.ws/1X9VX3Y.

Q: What’s the new rule about dumping on Oahu?

A: A beefed-up city ordinance took effect as soon as Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed Bill 24 on May 18. Under the law, individuals who illegally dump bulky waste can be fined up to $2,500 for each violation. The higher fine and enforcement against individual violators who need not live near where the items were dumped are both enhanced provisions, according to the city.

The city Department of Environmental Services provides free pickup of bulky items, such as old furniture, on a set, monthly schedule throughout the island. Residents are instructed to place their items at the curb only during their scheduled pickup period.

Those who put junk in front of their homes well in advance are subject to enforcement, as are violators who dump bulky rubbish outside their own neighborhoods.

While bulky items such as old furniture are generally placed obviously at the curb, the illegal dumping of construction debris, yard waste and other trash also is a problem in more out-of-the-way spots on Oahu.

The city urges anyone who spots an illegal dumpsite or sees a violator in action to report the problem.

To report an existing illegal dumpsite, call Environmental Services at 768-3300. Be ready to provide your name and contact information; the type of illegal dumpsite (for example, construction debris, bulky household rubbish, possible hazardous waste, auto parts, etc.); and the location, by street address if possible.

If you spot an illegal dumper in action, call 911. Be ready to give police the vehicle’s license number, a description of what you’ve seen and the precise location, according to the city’s DES.

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.