If homelessness has gotten “worse,” it should provoke urgent support for the basic human needs of those without a safe place to sleep (“Homelessness has gotten ‘worse’,” Star- Advertiser, Sept. 26).

Service providers work diligently to resolve homelessness and get people off the street. Yet there remains a very large need for affordable housing, stabilization beds and medically supervised treatment for mental health and substance abuse.

Unfortunately, the “out of sight, out of mind” approach has criminalized the very fact of being visibly homeless, resulting in punitive sweeps that cause physical and psychological disruption, property confiscation and repeated legal troubles. This perpetuates trauma and undercuts the trust built by service providers. Criminalization is a poor substitute for housing and public health programs.

That homelessness has gotten ‘worse’ in the public eye means that more of our ohana are suffering every night on the streets, a fact that should be met with compassion and love, not dehumanization and criminalization.

Aashish Hemrajani

Ala Moana

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