Letter: Oahu homeless sweeps needed for health, safety

Mahalo to Alec Cornejo for recognizing the human element in his recent letter (“Focus on people, not on trash, in sweeps,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 5).

The city has a firm understanding that outreach services are a vital part of enforcement efforts. In this case, 20 homeless people were encountered and six of them accepted shelter after persistent outreach by Kealahou West Oahu.

However, public lands belong to all of us and we cannot allow individuals to monopolize them in such an environmentally toxic way. City crews removed 130.97 tons of debris from squalid conditions, and this was followed by Protectors of Paradise volunteers who removed an additional 1.7 tons in a matter of hours.

Also, let’s not forget the average life expectancy of a homeless person is nearly 30 years lower than someone who is housed.

Compassionate disruption is just as much about showing homeless individuals a better way forward, as it is about enforcing the law.

Marc Alexander

Executive director, City Office of Housing

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