The Hawaii National Guard would reach out to homeless veterans and guide them toward counseling and services under a proposal by Republican gubernatorial candidate James "Duke" Aiona to reduce homelessness in the state.
Aiona’s plan also includes establishing a homeless court program, similar to the state’s special Drug Court, that would steer homeless lawbreakers to services and treatment instead of prison.
"I believe that the homeless issue has reached a new crisis level in our state," the former lieutenant governor said Monday in a telephone interview. "It’s impacted the health and safety of not only the general public, but the homeless population as well — as well as the economic health of our hospitality industry."
Advocates for homeless solutions expressed thanks and optimism for any proposal aimed at combatting the problem but reserved comment until more details emerge.
"The homeless court idea is probably a good idea if the resources for not just setting up the court were in place, but also for beefing up more homeless services," said Connie Mitchell, executive director of the Institute for Homeless Services. "As much as it seems the public thinks that not much is being done about homeless people, there are a lot of homeless providers that are very busy providing homeless services for a lot of people already."
Rep. Tom Brower (D, Waikiki-Ala Moana-Kakaako), who gained notoriety for attempting to discourage homeless from keeping possessions by smashing their shopping carts with a sledgehammer, said he would support any practical solution, regardless of the candidate making the proposal.
"Generally speaking, I would support the candidate’s measures because we would be exploring every possibility," Brower said. "It’s OK if we try something that doesn’t work, but we need to keep trying and it seems that government isn’t trying hard enough, until more recently."
Aiona unveiled his proposals at a news conference at Kakaako Makai Gateway Park.
Homelessness, primarily in Waikiki, has become an increasing problem in recent years, with more incidents reported and more measures being taken by lawmakers to try to address the problem.
Aiona said his proposed solutions are community-driven and compassionate toward homeless, many of whom suffer from mental illness or other health problems that often preclude them from seeking services or treatment.
The peer-to-peer counseling program would be part of the Hawaii National Guard’s mission in the state, he said, adding that it would seek to take advantage of the "special and unique" relationship among service members.
"Who better to talk to a vet than a vet?" he said. "A lot of these vets just don’t want to talk to outreach workers. They just can’t relate. So this is a better way of building that connection and that relationship and trying to convince them to get into programs."
The homeless court program, which he said could be utilized on all islands, would be mobile and set up on streets to allow better access to the program, he said.
As with Drug Court, homeless people or their family members could petition the court to participate in the process without going through the standard judicial process. The goal would be to steer them toward services and treatment.
"A lot of details would need to be worked out," Brower said. "It sounds that of his measures that might be the most complicated or controversial.
"It might make more sense just to get those who provide the services on the street to the homeless rather than go through the court system."
