Nothing, it seems, can convince some homeless people to leave the streets and seek appropriate shelter. For whatever reason, they will do whatever it takes to live out in the open. They don’t care if they’re a public nuisance or a health hazard. They don’t care if they prevent others from enjoying public parks. They don’t care about the law. They just don’t care.

That’s one view of Oahu’s homeless situation, shared by citizens frustrated by the stubborn persistence of homeless encampments popping up everywhere. Residents of afflicted neighborhoods want them gone.

This hard-line position is understandable and has some credibility. Homeless encampments, left unchecked, will grow and harden, as they did in Kakaako and more recently in Kalihi and on the slopes of Diamond Head. Living on the street, or in a public park, or in a car, simply cannot be accepted and must be discouraged as forcefully as possible. So a proposal to create a force of armed park rangers — patrolling city parks and continually rousting the homeless from their filthy encampments — has a certain appeal.

It’s a tempting strategy, but a bad idea.

City Councilman Trevor Ozawa, who represents Waikiki and other areas where homeless camps are common, wants to amend the City Charter to create a new city agency within the Parks and Recreation department with the power to enforce park rules.

The agency would be patterned after the enforcement arm of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, with park rangers receiving similar training, as well as weapons.

But creating a new city agency would be expensive, especially for a city government that has trouble meeting its current obligations. Without a massive infusion of money and other resources, it’s doubtful a new park ranger agency would be able to move the needle.

It’s uncommon to have armed rangers roaming city parks. Most parks and recreation departments rely on city police to enforce anti- camping laws, according to a recent National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) survey of 65 park and recreation agencies. Only 20 percent used park rangers, the survey found.

There are aspects to the homelessness problem that park rangers with guns won’t be able to solve. They can’t change the Constitution. It’s not illegal to be homeless, and homeless people can’t be forced to accept shelter or mental health care. They have the same right to be in public areas as anyone else. They can’t be deprived of their right to basic life-sustaining needs, such as sleep.

Ozawa is right about one thing, though: The city needs to find additional ways to keep public spaces safe and inviting, which leaves no room for homeless encampments.

The city does conduct sweeps of designated areas, collecting property and storing it to make public spaces more accessible. Police officers arrest people and issue warning and citations, which they’ve been doing at an increasing rate.

Between 2015 and 2016, the number of citations issued by the Honolulu Police Department for violations of the city’s sit-lie ordinance rose from 328 to 430. Arrests doubled, from nine to 18. And while warnings for sit-lie dropped, warnings for park violations overall rose from 4,716 to 6,094.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell said he plans to ask the Honolulu Police Department’s new chief, whenever that person is appointed, to create a division of officers specially tasked with homeless concerns. That’s a good idea, and HPD should make it a priority, giving it the resources equivalent to the problem — which is really, really serious. The last point-in-time count showed the homeless population dropping on all islands except Oahu, where it rose by 0.4 percent.

Enforcement is only one part of the solution, of course. Mitigation of homelessness requires coordination among law enforcement and other government agencies and nonprofit organizations that provide necessary support services. And affordable housing is scarce. But more homeless people need to find a way to accept help, and get off the streets.