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Homelessness is No. 1 public safety issue in Waikiki, Honolulu police chief says
Honolulu Police Department Chief Susan Ballard pledged to improve public safety by making Waikiki “uncomfortable” for homeless people. Read more
TO OUR READERS
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now are joining forces to report on the ever-worsening homelessness crisis.
While both news organizations will continue to report daily stories on homelessness, we will work together on bigger projects that delve into all aspects of the issue. To reach the widest possible audience for these important projects on this crisis, you will see reports in print, online and on broadcasts.
For example, on this page of the Star-Advertiser and in Hawaii News Now broadcasts on Monday, you will find stories on homeless encampments you might not be aware of and learn details about some of them.
Through stories such as these, we hope to raise awareness among the public — and public officials — about the gravity of the situation and the need to take action to help the homeless and, by doing so, help our community.
Both newsrooms hope you, as readers and viewers, will help with this project by offering comments, observations and suggestions online and in letters to the editor. While a collaboration between two competing newsrooms is unusual, Hawaii’s homelessness crisis requires an unusual approach.
Honolulu Police Department Chief Susan Ballard pledged to improve public safety by making Waikiki “uncomfortable” for homeless people. Read more
A Kaimuki couple with a new city contract to provide mobile hot showers for Oahu’s homeless are defying the city by supporting the Kakaako homeless. Read more
Honolulu Councilwoman Kymberly Pine has proposed that each of the nine Council members receive $2.3 million — or $21 million overall — to use in efforts to reduce homelessness. Read more
A poll commissioned by HawaiiKidsCAN found strong support for boosting spending on public education, but homelessness ranked as the top voter priority by far. Read more
Honolulu police officers Thursday morning rolled into the Walgreens parking lot on Young Street and ordered three homeless people to leave the private property — part of an ongoing effort to remove a particularly stubborn group of five to 10 chronically homeless people from the area. Read more
After living in a van with his daughter — and a stint in the 270-person homeless encampment next to the Waianae Small Boat Harbor — Falaniko “Niko” Pesamino teared up Tuesday at the thought of the stability he’s found in his 1-year-old, one-bedroom home built by the city for homeless families. Read more
The Honolulu Police Department is asking for funding of 10 reactivated officer positions for a community outreach unit aimed at coordinating its outreach and enforcement efforts with social service providers to better assist the homeless. Read more
City officials hope to fill four more positions to enforce the city’s stored property and sidewalk nuisance ordinances — or what Mayor Kirk Caldwell calls “some of the dirtiest work in the City and County of Honolulu” cleaning up homeless encampments. Read more
Some 45 percent of Hawaii voters live in homes where someone is considering moving away — or has already left the islands — typically because of the cost of living, according to a new poll of voters conducted for Pacific Resource Partnership. Read more
Just a week after releasing early data on Oahu’s annual homeless census, the head of the organization that oversees the island’s annual Point in Time Count abruptly resigned, cryptically citing “undermining behaviors.” Read more
The number of homeless living on Oahu streets jumped 12 percent in the past year while the overall number, including those living in shelters, dropped by 4 percent. Read more
Lt. Gov. Josh Green estimates that two months into his new job, he spends 70 percent of his time focused on finding big and small ways to get more homeless people off the street. Read more
The number of “unsheltered homeless” rose 12 percent, while those categorized as Oahu’s “sheltered homeless population” dropped nearly 19 percent. Read more
A group representing some of Kakaako’s homeless asked Mayor Kirk Caldwell on Thursday for a temporary reprieve from getting swept, but the city says that’s a nonstarter. Read more
With support and encouragement from their fellow houseless neighbors, these homeless households voluntarily moved — without police or city intervention. Read more
The number of homeless adults, children and pets using the city’s Punawai Rest Stop, a “hygiene center” in Iwilei, has steadily grown in less than a month of operation — from eight people on the first day to 174 on Thursday. Read more
For many Hawaii households, a decent, affordable place to live is out of reach. Read more
This is why we can’t have nice things. Because we can’t take care of nice public places, can’t defend them, can’t establish and enforce rules to keep things from being ruined. Read more
The first night of the annual Point in Time Count, a nationwide homeless census that will determine whether Hawaii continues to lead the country with the highest per capita rate of homelessness, began Tuesday night. Read more
The four-story industrial building-turned-homeless hub in Iwilei has had 578 visits through Tuesday since opening on Jan. 8. Read more
A place for Iwilei homeless to shower, do laundry, pick up mail and receive other services opened Tuesday on Kuwili Street. Read more