Aiu said that DOCARE has stepped up training of its officers on laws regarding the homeless and on how to recognize and handle people with mental health issues. With adequate MH-1 training on mental health issues, DOCARE officers will have the authority to require a person to undergo an involuntary 48-hour psychiatric evaluation, Aiu said, adding, \u201cThat will be really exciting to not have to rely on HPD [Honolulu police] to address those issues with us.\u201d (MH-1 is an Involuntary Application for Mental Health Evaluation.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With regard to finding places for the homeless to go, the Legislature passed Act 212 in 2017, establishing a working group to identify state lands that could be used as temporary encampments. So far, the DLNR has not been able to find many lands suitable for shelters or other types of homeless housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost properties need to be flat and non-flood prone, have existing infrastructure and public transportation. We don\u2019t have any. We\u2019re looking at less-useful lands that require more mitigation, which is expensive,\u201d Aiu said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She pointed out that the DLNR has already provided more than 70 acres over the years and across the state for homeless housing projects. The lands have been set aside or leased to various counties or to the Hawai\u2018i Housing Finance and Development Corporation (an agency of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism) or other social service agency, according to Land Division administrator Russell Tsuji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the case of the village for the homeless in Waimanalo, however, his division is struggling to resolve the problems surrounding its creation. Many view the village \u2014 spawned by Blanche and Willie McMillan of the non-profit Hui Mahi\u2018ai \u2018Aina, YouthBuild Waimanalo, and others \u2014as a blessing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA place to call HOME is a priceless and beautiful thing,\u201d wrote Anei Kennison Hiona in her June 23 testimony to the House Committee on Housing in support of Senate Bill 2206. The bill would have allowed the Land Board to grant month-to-month permits for temporary emergency shelters and facilities for homeless people on state lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the bill did not specifically refer to the state parcel in Waimanalo where the Hui built housing for homeless, it seemed tailored to address the fact that the homes were built without any authorization from the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hiona, who lives in one of the houses with her husband and eight-year-old daughter, stated, \u201cI have had to move 12 times since my child was born! I cherish the opportunity to never be uprooted again. Everyday I wake up I know that we will always have food, shelter, family and friends around. I thank God daily for giving us auntie Blanche and her wonderful, caring family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to several residents of the village, the Hawai\u2018i Kai Homeless Task Force and the Hawaiian Affairs Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai\u2018i testified in support of the bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile these kinds of camps are not the most ideal, given the challenges posed by COVID-19, innovative, short-term solutions need to be implemented to address the housing shortage. This measure would help BLNR to implement a short-term solution,\u201d wrote Hawaiian Affairs Caucus chair Juanita Brown Kawamoto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the bill would have required any permittees to indemnify the state, Land Board chair and DLNR director Suzanne Case testified that her department was \u201cconcerned about the actual effectiveness of this indemnity should the state need to invoke it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the Legislature passed the bill, Gov. David Ige vetoed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Had Ige signed the bill, the DLNR would still have to deal with the fact that the village is in a flood zone. \u201cThese structures do not comply with the flood plan or federal requirements, placing residents potentially at risk if it was to flood, as well as, potentially, the community on abutting DHHL [Department of Hawaiian Home Lands] homestead land. We got complaints from some in the area because of flooding in the general area,\u201d Tsuji told the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to the potential wastewater violation, he said the homes have not been subject to any environmental review. The Health Department wants the wastewater violation resolved and \u201cwe have informed the leader of this encampment of the DOH violation and we have been told they are trying to resolve it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The flooding issue is still a big problem, he added. \u201cFrom what we\u2019re told by the Engineering Division, if we don\u2019t correct this problem, it could have a larger impact for the state\u2019s flood insurance program, so we\u2019re taking this pretty seriously,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s very likely at some point we would probably be before the board and try to resolve this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Half-In, Half-Out\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Providing solutions for people who want to get into houses addresses only part of the problem, according to Case. \u201cThere are certain groups that are more hard-core criminals. They don\u2019t necessarily want a solution here because they\u2019ve got other priorities in terms of crime and drugs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Villalobos and Cottrell concurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese are humans that prefer the lifestyle of camping illegally in our wild land\u00a0areas and adjacent urban interfaces. The conversations I\u2019ve had with them is, they want this versus the rules of inhabiting a shelter,\u201d Cottrell said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With a drone, he said, his division was able to map 38 homeless sites in the rugged terrain at Diamond Head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aiu said some possible solutions could be to close certain hotspots, such as Kapena Falls State Park on O\u2018ahu, or to privatize the small boat harbors. Both would require approval from the Land Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat we find is our areas are really popular because we have restroom facilities and we have water. It makes it very easy for people to set up camp. … At the Wai\u2018anae small boat harbor, our water bill alone was exceeding revenues generated in the harbor at one point,\u201d DOBOR\u2019s Underwood said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To prevent homeless encroachment in the state\u2019s more remote, \u201cunderused\u201d areas, Aiu suggested that the department could try to encourage more public use through things such as urban forestry. That might also require board approval, she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Board member Chris Yuen said he had concerns about any request to the board to authorize an encampment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStrictly on an enforcement level, I don\u2019t see why something has to come to the board. If someone is camping on State Parks who\u2019s not supposed to, you cite them. If someone is on unencumbered land, cite them. Don\u2019t bring it to the board. Just enforce,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cottrell clarified that his division, at least, might bring to the board \u201csome creative dispositions of land where there is an entrenched camp [with] the ultimate effect of trying to remove the population.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With regard to the effect of citations, Cottrell pointed out earlier in the meeting, \u201cThere is no threat legally to these individuals. We\u2019ve created, because of litigation and court cases and precedents, a new class of people that are virtually, at this point in time, immune to any civil process that would break the cycle of their return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGerry\u2019s written countless citations to guys on Diamond Head. There are bench warrants for failure to appear. But one of the big problems is having our state law enforcement interface with county law enforcement. If someone is houseless, there is a very rigorous procedure to get them incarcerated. The counties and state law enforcement really need to work closer together in trying to essentially optimize how we deal with this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe know there are social pressures and protections in place, but absent any penalties, in the COVID economy, I anticipate we will be dealing with this situation in greater numbers over the next couple years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yuen conceded, \u201cIt may be at some point we have to accept this as a new reality and set up semi-permanent camp sites, instead of this random whack-a-mole situation. Set up a field, bathrooms, running water, storage lockers … and you tell everybody \u2018This is where you go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aiu said that is similar to the POST camp that the Honolulu Police Department has set up on DLNR land. Homeless people can even take their dogs there, she pointed out. But for some, there are still too many rules there, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll take you up to Diamond Head. If you were homeless, that\u2019s where you would want to live, honestly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNobody wants our State Parks to be designated in this fashion. … This sort of half-in, half-out living style, there\u2019s no perfect place for that. It does tend to materialize in very opportunistic places,\u201d Case said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aiu noted that the racial mix of homeless on DLNR land mirrors the state\u2019s, where 35 percent is native Hawaiian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Board member Kaiwi Yoon asked whether any native Hawaiian organizations have helped the agency\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a really difficult issue,\u201d she replied. She said the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is not really organized to deal with these kinds of issues, and the DHHL has homeless on its own lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause of rules for DHHL, they cannot provide us with housing for homeless. That would mean people on the waiting list would get jumped over,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big issue for us. It\u2019s ongoing. It\u2019s an expensive issue, a complicated issue. … It\u2019s getting worse in a COVID situation and COVID economy,\u201d Case said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Board member Vernon Char admitted he was naive about how extensively the homeless issue affected the DLNR\u2019s lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt cuts across all divisions. … Whether we like it or not, we\u2019re a big player in this thing,\u201d he said. In addition to needing more funds from the Legislature, he said, the Land Board or the department should continue efforts to \u201cpull things together and see if we can be of some assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Case praised Aiu for her work in that regard. \u201cShe really stepped up for DLNR as our coordinator when this problem began to get bigger and bigger. She works very closely with all of the divisions, with Scott Morishige [the governor\u2019s coordinator on homelessness], with HPD. It\u2019s not your typical job in natural and cultural resource protection. She did really step up and the fact that we have a coordinated effort on this is pretty new and we appreciate it very much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n — Teresa Dawson<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For the last five years, the state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) has basically had to ignore its normal duties of protecting and helping manage Hawai‘i’s natural resources. “Homelessness has taken away from all that,” DOCARE officer Gerard Villalobos … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,16,475],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-13057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-board-talk","category-dlnr","category-november-2020","tag-teresa-dawson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-23-at-2.31.05-PM.jpg\")