Hawaii had a homelessness problem for years before it became a front-burner issue across the state, especially in urban Honolulu.

But attention has focused on it for at least a decade, with two previous governors shining brighter spotlights on the issue.

The administration of Linda Lingle moved funds to construct emergency and transitional shelter space, an effective first step.

The next governor, Neil Abercrombie, established a new coordinator’s post with high hopes of addressing the issue comprehensively, but little came of it.

Current Gov. David Ige has declared a state of emergency, which has been renewed repeatedly.

So why does it seem that barely a dent has been made in the problem?

The answer that leaps to mind is simple: Attempts to pull all resources into a coherent game plan have stalled due to a lack of leadership.

Pots of cash have been allocated, including $5 million for Aloha United Way and $12 million for a range of other social service agencies dealing with the problem. But strategizing on how to use the money effectively has lagged.

Changing federal policies for funding grants now require the drive and wide- ranging authority to push initiatives to completion. That role lies primarily with Ige.

Statistics out this week from the University of Hawaii at Manoa Center on the Family give the public little cause for satisfaction. Last fiscal year, Hawaii saw 14,954 people seeking homeless services, the highest number in the state’s history, and up 4.7 percent over the previous year. Among unaccompanied homeless adults, the percentage increase was nearly 10 percent.

The one bright spot: The numbers of homeless children needing services declined 1.8 percent.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser has been following the crisis closely, chronicling the street sweeps, the efforts under the “Housing First” program to get permanent homes for the homeless, and the programs to transition them from shelters to stability.

A recent story by staff writer Dan Nakaso showed that the encampments cleared from sidewalks and parks keep popping back up — along with crime — in Kakaako. The problems in that district are worrisome because gangs are being established, said a spokesman for the Hawaii Community Development Authority, which oversees redevelopment of the district.

Vandalism, feces and feral cats are all to be found in the mix with people who themselves are living in close proximity. All of that threatens public health and safety.

The overlapping jurisdictions in this area especially — HCDA, state and city law enforcement — continue to complicate matters. Allowances for city sweeps on state property have increasingly enabled better coordination, but it remains a confounding challenge.

Also confounding: Alongside those truly struggling, are those who refuse to leave the streets for shelters, citing too many rules. That attitude gets no sympathy from law-abiding citizens. A plan is needed to address those who refuse all efforts of help. Clearly, to continue to allow parks and sidewalks to be called home is unacceptable.

At the heart of the problem is a complex mix of substance-abuse and other health concerns, poverty and a critical lack of affordable rentals. Hawaii’s homeless face one of the most difficult housing markets in the nation.

And now the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development is reorienting its grants program, which recently dealt a blow to eight programs providing shelter and help to homeless teens and adults dealing with HIV/AIDS and mental illness.

Connie Mitchell, executive director of the Institute for Human Services, said HUD has been placing a premium on programs such as Housing First that move people quickly into stable, permanent housing where their other problems can be better addressed.

But in a housing market as difficult as this, there should be room in the federal budget — perhaps through health agencies — for temporary shelters where people need to stay for extended periods.

HUD’s new criteria for grants favor programs that coordinate well with others to make the most of resources previously locked into agency silos. Having the one-stop community network of service providers that HUD envisions is a worthy goal, but one that needs a relentless push from the top.

There have been steps taken, small steps, in the right direction, but it’s not enough when the problem is compounding so quickly.

If there isn’t a relentless push from the top — principally the fifth-floor office of the governor — homelessness will continue to accelerate beyond the govern- ment’s ability to cope.