On Monday, Waikiki’s St. Augustine by the Sea began serving free, hot lunches each weekday to those who visit the Catholic church grounds, after having temporarily suspended meal giveaways on public sidewalks outside the church.

In a positive move, church leaders moved the meal service to St. Augustine’s parking lot — a response to concerns by Mayor Rick Blangiardi and other city officials, who had urged the church to end it.

It must be respected that the church, which could easily confine itself to serving only “haves” within its realm, has dedicated itself to action serving the have-nots.

Consideration of the issue, however, should go beyond the act of serving meals, to consider whether this action best serves to advance the overall well-being of the people St. Augustine seeks to help.

The church has a lawful right to continue offering a meal service on its own grounds. St. Augustine had moved the service to sidewalks during the COVID-19 pandemic, in an effort to make gathering and contagion less likely. However, offering sidewalk meal service in this corner of Waikiki was encouraging people without shelter to congregate nearby, including at Kuhio Beach and adjoining public sidewalks. Problems multiplied, included petty crime, harassment of passersby and scattered refuse, including human waste, on and around church grounds.

Rick Egged, Waikiki Improvement Association president, told the Star-Advertiser, “We certainly understand that the church wants to help those who are in need, but the problem we have is that it’s really become a focal point for some of the troublemakers in Waikiki. … We’ve had a proliferation of shoplifting, drug sales — and that area has become the hot spot.”

Egged also acknowledged, however, that alternative approaches can address those problems. Highest among these is Safe and Sound, a cooperative program between law enforcement and service providers that seeks to weed out criminal offenders while providing shelter and services for those who accept it.

Egged told the Star-Advertiser that Waikiki has actually experienced a reduction in crime, year over year, with Safe and Sound in place, crediting police enforcement.

These actions, however, come against the backdrop of a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, asserting that Honolulu’s homeless “sweeps” and other “anti-houseless” laws violate the state’s constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

The challenges and difficulties facing the unsheltered affect the quality of life for all who live in or visit hubs such as Waikiki. They also reflect the fact that the unsheltered are disproportionately likely to struggle with problems that far exceed hunger, including poor health, mental health challenges and substance abuse.

City officials say their objection is not to feeding the hungry, but rather the church’s “time and place and manner.” This is parallel to the city’s earlier concerns with River of Life in Chinatown, which was convinced to transition away from meal distribution at its property. River of Life reports that it has had greater success in offering services after going to a mobile program in March 2022.

One day a week, St. Augustine also provides a homeless services program, offering the opportunity for people to not only eat, but meet with outreach workers, clean up, get legal advice and even obtain free veterinary care for pets.

This type of wrap-around service, with emphasis on shelter, should be the model for St. Augustine and all who seek to truly aid the unhoused. That may be the best benefit of providing service in a fixed place — and it would be best for all if the church works collaboratively with its neighbors, including those without shelter, businesses, city representatives and service providers.

These efforts to serve the whole person, and not only food, should be redoubled. That is ultimately the best and preferable option.