A private contractor for the state removed on Monday appliances and other items from the sidewalk along North Nimitz Highway where a homeless encampment has grown to about a dozen tents.
Hale Toa Mui Contractors removed three refrigerators, beds, stand-up paddleboards and a washing
machine from the sidewalk near West Marine on Nimitz, makai of Longs Drug Store.
The contractor, hired by the Department of Transportation, also collected debris, trash, blankets, tarps and shopping carts that were also found on the sidewalk.
Some of the area where the camp was set up is on private property.
“The Hawaii Department of Transportation and other State agencies continue to address situations on their properties that impact immediate health and safety, including situations that
obstruct safe passage on public sidewalks under State jurisdiction,” said Scott Morishige, the governor’s coordinator on homelessness,
in a written response to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
“Concerns regarding private property are referred
to the Honolulu Police Department for review and
follow-up,” he said.
PetSmart assistant store manager Marcus Leiato said: “We have a little bit more homeless than we have had before. No real issues with them coming in or anything.”
Carol Ai May, City Mill vice president, said that homelessness in the area
“is an intermittent problem, depending on how widespread it gets. It has not been a big problem for us.”
A Zippy’s restaurant assistant manager, who did not want to be named, said the restaurant has not had any problems recently, but a few months ago, some homeless “created chaos” when
they were sometimes
denied access to the restrooms.
A West Marine manager did not return a call for
comment.
The governor’s administration requested $5 million to conduct sweeps of the homeless, and legislators approved $7 million. It is unclear what the status of that funding is, said a homelessness special assistant with the governor’s office.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the homeless not be moved during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent the possible further spread of the virus by causing the population to move and live with family or friends in the general community.
“The State works to ensure that any enforcement actions are conducted along with homeless outreach with the goal of offering shelter and other services to individuals experiencing homelessness,” Morishige added.
“Efforts to address homelessness during the pandemic include continued outreach to encampments to connect them to new programs, such as the Provisional Outdoor Screening and Triage program or the Temporary Quarantine and Isolation Center,” he said.
To report an unsafe situation or request services for a person experiencing homelessness, the public can call the state’s Homeless Help Line at 586-0193 or email gov.homelessness@hawaii.gov.
