Editorial: New mayor needs homeless options

As Honolulu chips away at its daunting homelessness problem, it’s heartening to see Punawai Rest Stop continuing to take shape as a “compassionate” element in the city’s compassionate disruption strategy.

Situated in a four-story building in Iwilei, Punawai’s first permanent residents are now moving into its “Housing First” apartments, which come with social service case management. Also in the works: an on-site health clinic, which will help reduce emergency room visits.

The ground-floor’s hygiene center, in operation for two years now, offers a place to take a hot shower, washers and dryers for laundry, and other basic services. This under-one-roof approach appears to be making strides as so far this year, more than 225 people who sought assistance at Punawai are now housed — more than double its count from last year.

Speaking this week on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” webcast, Mayor-elect Rick Blangiardi, who ranks tackling homelessness as a critical priority, said: “I want to take a big bite out of homelessness … especially our chronic homeless.” That’s certainly needed, and the effort should include tracking progress at Punawai, with an eye toward expanding its reach.

However, as Blangiardi puts together his game plan, it’s clear that a thorough understanding of the city’s long-standing problem and viable solutions — now further complicated by economic tremors tied to COVID-19 — requires a steep learning curve.

“Roadmap to Recovery,” Blangiardi’s rough outline for his first 90 days in office amid pandemic challenges, calls for elimination of the city’s “use of so-called compassionate disruption, especially during COVID-19,” adding that tactic “merely moves homeless individuals from park to park and street to street.”

It’s true that scenes of scattering and relocation can make it harder for outreach workers to serve people. It’s also true that this disruption element is not in and of itself a homelessness solution. But in the absence of a better alternative, the city’s “enforcement actions,” or sweeps, are useful in fending off potential public health and safety threats in parks, business districts and other areas.

The Roadmap also calls for convening city, state and nonprofit stakeholders to forge a “data-intensive approach to coordinated outreach services, expanded medical care, and additional shelter/housing options.” But the devil will be in the details — and until successful strategies actually emerge, the city should simultaneously continue to refine compassionate disruption.

Due to COVID-19’s economic woes, stakeholders are bracing for a possible increase in homelessness numbers in coming months. Among the programs now mitigating virus spread is the POST (Provisional Outdoor Screening and Triage), which offers shelter in tents, where homeless individuals can self-quarantine.

Come January, when Blangiardi and the new City Council set immediate priorities, fortifying POST should be on the list. Also, the city should now be stepping up its search for sensible opportunities to swiftly expand Oahu’s affordable housing inventory, regardless of neighborhood or Council district — including tapping buildings, such as apartment walk-ups and vacant hotels, that could be recast with low-income units.

“With so much at stake,” Blangiardi said in the webcast, “I’m really looking forward to problem-solving and not playing politics.” Along those lines, a push for more permanent housing, along with a reliable system of care for the “service-resistant” homeless grappling with addiction and mental health issues, is in order.

Given Blangiardi’s results-oriented business background, there’s hope that he will be able to work in tandem with the Council and others, to slice through political red tape and NIMBY squabbles to secure these and other lasting solutions.