City Councilwoman Carol Fukunaga is pressing the administration to install public restrooms downtown and in Chinatown, saying businesses, residents and visitors are growing frustrated at more homeless people using the area as their toilet.
Fukunaga, who represents the downtown-Chinatown area, introduced Resolution 13-293, which would call on city officials to identify possible locations for the restrooms and to provide recommendations as part of a homeless solutions action plan by Jan. 30.
"This is a long-standing situation," Fukunaga said. "We want to give people a sense that there are solutions that can be developed if we all put our creative juices together."
The resolution is being taken up by the Council’s Public Safety and Economic Development Committee at 9 a.m. today.
The lack of public restrooms and a growing number of homeless individuals on the River Street side of Chinatown have made for a growing public safety and health concern, as well as a problem for merchants and their customers, Fukunaga said.
The most appropriate solution would likely involve a public-private partnership, she said. "I know the city does not have very many specific locations downtown."
Jesse Broder Van Dyke, spokesman for Mayor Kirk Caldwell, said the mayor is amenable to the request to look into the situation further, noting that vandalism and safety are the biggest hurdles to a location.
Broder Van Dyke also reminded the public that people can use the restroom at the Honolulu Police Department’s Chinatown substation at the corner of Hotel and Maunakea streets throughout the day.
In November 2011 the Chinatown Business and Community Association joined the River of Life Mission to provide a public toilet facility from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays during a 90-day trial period. Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock, association president, said about 900 people used the facility, all but about 10 percent of them homeless.
The project cost about $10,000 for a private security guard and janitor. About half the money came from the city and the other half from the sale of T-shirts and private donations.
Toilet paper and soap were donated by River of Life.
Last year Councilman Joey Manahan introduced a separate resolution calling on the adminstration to explore the possibility of setting up hygiene centers on Oahu for the homeless to use.
