JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
A man carries a box near a tent at a homeless encampment along South Beretania Street on May 14.
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A column written by a state Department of Human Services investigator asserted that long-term and permanent care facilities are needed for the homeless that are suffering from mental illness and addiction (“Care homes key to isle homeless plight,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Aug. 25). But what is the path to ensure that these individuals are able to receive the care that they need?
I went online and found that there is a Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness within the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions. Of the 27 individuals listed as members of the Council, 25 represent or have ties to a government agency. The other two are a faith-based representative and a business community representative. It seems surprising that there is no doctor or nurse.
In addition, why not have a representative from the ACLU so that rather than merely throwing up roadblocks, the group can actually contribute to the solution of getting care to those who need it?
Doug Tonokawa
Kailua
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