Program improves Maui area’s security and maintenance

Like many places in Hawaii, Maui has seen a growing number of vagrants, the mentally ill, substance abusers and homeless on the streets, and nowhere is the problem more apparent than Wailuku town.

An innovative program called Wailuku Clean & Safe has gone a long way toward alleviating concerns of merchants, residents and visitors by increasing neighborhood safety and improving the appearance of streets. Since the summer of 2016, the county-funded program has made big strides on a surprisingly modest budget. In the current fiscal year, that amount is $270,000.

This outreach is the brainchild of Erin Wade, a former small-town planner for the county who now heads its Maui Redevelopment Agency. Wade patterned the program after a similar venture in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich. The idea is to put security personnel on the streets to give immediate personal attention to problems as they arise.

The program also has a street maintenance component that provides part-time, minimum-wage jobs for clients of the nonprofit organization Mental Health Kokua, located nearby. These workers sweep rubbish and collect trash; the results go a long way to maintain the appearance of the Market Street corridor.

The two-pronged effort is under the direction of retired Maui Police Department officer Lawrence Kauhaahaa, assisted by five other paid, part-time “safety ambassadors.” The men take turns walking the area in plain clothes during the day and dealing with situations as they occur.

According to Frank Tam, 61, a retired Maui Fire Department battalion chief, this low-key approach is one way to assist the homeless and others with problems and direct them to the appropriate available services. “It’s about helping people,” he said.

On the other hand, Tam explained, “Some of the people we see are a chronic nuisance. They show up where they are not welcome, and they refuse help. We are not police,” he said, “but we can assist merchants and property owners in filling out the trespass paperwork that allows police to follow up in an effective manner and, if necessary, make arrests and issue a temporary restraining order.

“Believe me, the people on the street know who we are, and our presence, I believe, serves as a deterrent.”

The street maintenance part of Wailuku Clean & Safe is handled by six part-time workers in crews of two who empty trash along Market Street and also sweep and tidy up the streetscape.

Adrian Yanagi, 51, has been with program since 2016. “I like my work,” he said, “and it’s the first time I’ve ever liked all my bosses.”

His colleague Brice Murayama, 29, also was enthusiastic about the job. “Helps give us a sense of purpose,” he said. “We hope it will encourage others to keep our town clean.”

Or as founder Wade wrote in a county newsletter, the town gets “so much more from Clean & Safe than a security or property management firm could offer — it’s a network to support, educate and lend a helping hand.”

That view is echoed by Megan Kanekoa, owner of the Wailuku Coffee Co., a popular neighborhood coffee shop and eatery.

“Wailuku Clean & Safe has been a godsend to merchants and probably to the local police, too,” she said. “It assists us with unruly and unstable individuals. I personally have seen the benefits. My conversations with other merchants make me think this kind of program would be a welcome addition to every town center on the island.”