Question: Our son might apply to the University of Hawaii from out of state. During our recent Oahu vacation we walked around the campus, which itself was nice, green and quiet. Our concern is a street not too far from campus. There were tents and stuff on the sidewalks. We assume students walk down to restaurants in the area. It didn’t seem safe. Is this a permanent problem or something that they are trying to get rid of or what?

Answer: You seem to be referring to King Street, which is under the city’s jurisdiction, not the university’s. Homeless encampments have persisted along King from McCully Street to University Avenue despite regular enforcement. A university spokesman referred enforcement questions to the city while emphasizing the safety, beauty and quality of the Manoa campus, which is several blocks away, mauka of the H-1 freeway.

“We understand there are no quick and easy solutions to homelessness and we support the county and state efforts to address the issue. Anyone considering attending UH-Manoa should know that the campus, surrounding community and the state are actually among the safest places in the country,” said UH spokesman Dan Meisenzahl. “The safety of our students and our community is a top priority. The campus itself is consistently named one of the most beautiful in the nation, not to mention one of just a hundred-plus accredited arboretums. Most importantly, UH-Manoa is one of the best universities in the world and is consistently ranked in the top 2 percent by just about every respected ranking entity.”

(UH Manoa, home to thousands of trees and plants, is accredited as a campuswide arboretum; read more at 808ne.ws/uharbor.)

Ross Sasamura, director and chief engineer of the city’s Department of Facility Maintenance, described recent enforcement along King Street and elsewhere, encouraging residents and visitors alike to report trouble spots:

“Illegal encampments and storage of personal property on sidewalks and other City and County of Honolulu properties and facilities remain the focus of continued, day and night enforcement actions by the Department of Facility Maintenance (DFM). Enforcement crews from the department regularly act upon complaints from the public in the Moiliili/McCully area, particularly along South King, Beretania and Isenberg streets.

“From Jan 1-18, DFM enforcement teams have conducted enforcement actions on five different occasions in this area. The people that continue to store their property illegally and encamp on city property are resistant to services and sheltering that continue to be offered to them.

“DFM enforcement actions will continue as often as necessary, where necessary, and our visitors and community members are invited to call 768-4381 to report any obstructions on city sidewalks and illegally stored personal items on city properties and facilities as often as needed. The department’s enforcement teams will respond accordingly to address the reported issues.

“The enforcement of city ordinances relating to sidewalk nuisances and illegally stored personal property is often referred to as ‘compassionate disruption’ to ensure public spaces are available for the use by the public and not exclusively by a subset of people. From Jan. 2, 2013, to Jan. 18, 2019, DFM enforcement teams have removed over 13,222 shopping carts and over 4,012,000 pounds of trash and debris from city sidewalks and facilities.”

Andrew Pereira, a city spokesman, said homelessness on Oahu declined last year for the first time since 2009, and also emphasized that “Honolulu remains one of the safest cities in the country.”

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.