It is a predictable response to homelessness in Waikiki, or in any community, all the more so when it’s an area marketing itself as a visitor destination. That response: Get the homeless to leave.

Predictable and, all too visibly, ineffective. The latest census of the unsheltered, the annual Point in Time Count, shows the East Honolulu numbers going up sharply, not down. The district has taken notice of the rising count of homeless seen sleeping in the parks or other Waikiki public spaces, mostly single men.

It’s time, surely, to try a few other strategies, providing more of what they need: a place to live. Some even have the means, with government help, to pay for something modest or basic.

But chances of finding that in Waikiki, or in most isle communities, range from slim to none.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser tourism writer Allison Schaefers touched base with one Waikiki denizen identifying himself as Frank, who had a Section 8 voucher under the federal subsidy program but found no qualifying units where he could use it.

“What good are affordable housing programs if there aren’t enough places to rent?” he asked.

Indeed.

In one of the few promising developments in the ongoing affordable-housing and homelessness crises, there is now an opportunity to at least chip away at this problem.

That means helping the unsheltered capable of living on their own who prefer to stay in this area. To address that issue, vacant or derelict properties could be recast as affordable units.

The city has started the long process of condemnation at one site, 1615 Ala Wai, where officials hope to use affordable-housing funds to convert the building into low-income rentals. Owned by brothers Norman and Alvin Nip and sister Donna Chang, the property would serve a critical need and should not be allowed to languish.

State lawmakers are rightly urging the city to follow other promising leads. House Concurrent Resolution 93, which was adopted by both chambers, listed 19 properties the city should purchase at fair market value to address “community needs.”

The legislation did not specify the public purpose and, in fact, some of these might be more appropriate for open space or something else. But surely housing has to be high on the list for the city.

In written response, Honolulu City Council Chairman Tommy Waters noted the 1615 Ala Wai action and added that “we should take steps to acquire vacant parcels with the support of the Waikiki community in the hopes that we can build places for people to live.”

The 19 parcels are owned by Okada Trucking and include lots with rebar protruding from foundation poured decades ago. These, too, could be repurposed, and the Council should press the administration to pursue its options.

For other facets of the homelessness crisis, Waikiki’s business community is seeking to participate more fully in the city’s Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE), social-service intervention teams answering nonviolent homeless emergency calls. The plan is to deploy teams beyond the downtown area into Waikiki as well; a vigorous rollout is necessary, without delay.

Additionally, city community services and police officials should consider the potential of short-term homeless programs such as the Homeless Outreach and Navigation for Unsheltered Persons (HONU) initiative. That could give some of the more troubled unsheltered persons a place to find help, too.

Oahu’s diverse homelessness challenges must be shouldered by all communities. A solution for at least some of the unsheltered would be a chance to secure housing, instead of languishing on the streets. The push for affordable rentals in Waikiki, on currently derelict properties, could be that chance.