Question: I walk to Sandy Beach early in the morning and to my mind things have improved since they increased security. … Are they going to make that permanent?
Answer: It hasn’t been decided yet. You seem to be referring to the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation’s pilot project to secure closed parks. The East Oahu beach park is one of about 25 city parks included in the pilot, which has a security company, American Guard Services Inc., locking up comfort stations and gates (if applicable) at closing time. Presumably, that has discouraged people from staying all night, and you no longer see them at dawn.
The security company’s employees are in marked vehicles and uniforms. They tell park users it’s time to leave, lock up and alert the Honolulu Police Department if a problem arises.
The pilot project runs through the end of June, at which time DPR will assess its outcome. The security contract began in mid-April at a cost of $25,916, or roughly $1,000 per park.
Sandy Beach Park has benefited from the security pilot program, as well as from surveillance cameras installed outside the comfort stations and continued HPD patrols, said Nathan Serota, a parks department spokesman.
Q: Upper Aiea Heights Drive got resurfaced, after many years. Nice job, however, the yellow dividing middle lines are so crooked that it is distracting. Are these temporary markings or permanent?
A: Temporary. “Final striping of the upper Aiea Heights area should start early next week, weather permitting,” Alexander Zannes, a city spokesman, said Thursday.
Q: How do you get into the city’s FSS program? It helps you save for a house.
A: The city’s Section 8 Program participants who are receiving the Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance are eligible to enroll in the Family Self-Sufficiency program one time, according to the city. The program is designed to help them earn more money and rely less on welfare assistance and rental subsidies, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD’s website explains how the program works: Eligible families who decide to participate receive coaching and case management to help them set and reach goals leading to self-sufficiency. An interest-bearing escrow account is set up, and rather than paying more in rent as their earnings rise, the money is deposited in the account. Families who complete the program may withdraw the money after five years to use as they wish, including to make a down payment on a home, buy a car to drive to work or other purposes.
You may have heard about the program through news coverage of an Oahu single mother who was able to finish college, start a rewarding career and end her reliance on housing assistance with the program’s help. She reduced her debt and departed FSS with more than $12,000 in savings.
If you believe you are eligible and would like more information, call Jayne Lee with the city’s Department of Community Services at 768-7078, or email to Jlee2@honolulu.gov.
Only about five percent of families with children in public housing or Section 8 voucher programs nationwide participate in FSS, according to HUD.
Q: How long is Mother Waldron park going to be closed this time? It’s a pain for people who live in Kakaako and like to use this park.
A: It is scheduled to reopen July 6, according to the city. The small park bounded by Coral, Pohukaina, Cooke and Halekawila streets closed for six weeks of maintenance on May 29 after the homeless population there swelled to more than than 40 people, according to news reports.
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