Hilo residents’ concerns about the possibility that a government-sanctioned homeless camp could be created near Wailoa River State Recreation Area are premature, Hawaii County and state officials said last week.
Residents at the Hilo Lagoon Center have been worried about a rumored plan by the county to establish a “Safe Space” in a nearby parking lot on state land as part of an initiative to shelter homeless individuals.
As Mayor Mitch Roth explained to the Tribune-Herald in January, the Safe Spaces initiative is an attempt to establish temporary or semi-permanent areas where homeless individuals can congregate and stay without being asked — or forced — to move or relocate because their presence violates county or state rules. Roth compared the project to Gov. Josh Green’s “kauhale” initiative, which creates villages of tiny homes for unhoused people.
Although no final decisions have been made regarding specific Safe Spaces sites, Cyrus Johnasen, spokesman for the mayor’s office, said several different options are being investigated.
One of those options is a parking lot near the State Building on Aupuni Street — sandwiched between the building and the nearby Hilo Lagoon Center, and immediately south of the Wailoa Art Center — much to the consternation of Lagoon Center residents.
“There has got to be more appropriate sites than this,” said Brian Sanders, who owns a condo at the center. “A lot of older folks who live here are really petrified over this. This would really reduce their freedom of movement.”
Sanders said the site is inappropriate for many reasons. For one, the Lagoon Center is both a residential building and contains several offices for health care providers, and the presence of a homeless camp would be disruptive to both residents and those seeking medical services.
“It’s not going to just be the site itself. The surrounding area will be more populated with homeless people, too,” Sanders said. “A person could be rejected from the camp for abusing drugs or alcohol, but it’s not like they’re going to go check into a hotel. They’ll just find a place to sleep outside the camp.”
The lot’s proximity to the Wailoa River park also poses both environmental and cultural concerns, particularly given that it is is downslope from the lot and would be impacted by runoff from the camp.
“From what I understand, it would just be served by your standard porta-potties,” Sanders said. “There’s going to be trash, human waste in the park … people relieving themselves in the woods.”
Terry Schoneberg, a Realtor whose office is at the center, suggested the location might not be healthy for the homeless either. He noted that extensive arsenic remediation work has been necessary in and around the Wailoa River and said “wouldn’t be surprised” if the soil at the park also contains arsenic.
Shoneberg noted the area is prone to flooding and is within a tsunami zone, raising further questions about the potential camp’s safety.
The tsunami zone is also relevant given the historical location of Shinmachi, the old Hilo community that was destroyed by the 1946 tsunami. For a homeless camp to be erected adjacent to not only memorials to Shinmachi, but also the county Vietnam Memorial and the statue of King Kamehameha, would be a serious failure of cultural reverence, Sanders opined.
“The park is a jewel for the families in Hilo,” Sanders said. “This would be a blight on the lagoon, and it would be visible from all over.”
Sanders was frustrated that the county has not communicated its intentions for the site with neighbors — although he acknowledged county officials have confirmed to him that the lot is being considered for a Safe Space.
“Everyone in Hilo should be aware of this,” Sanders said. “It feels like there should be public meetings.”
Schoneberg said he plans to compile a list of possible alternative county- or state-owned sites that would be more appropriate for an encampment.
But Johnasen told the Tribune-Herald there is no solid plan yet for any Safe Space location.
“We’re looking at a lot of different options,” he said, acknowledging that one such option is “an area by the State Building.”
“We’re still trying to figure out where would be a safe place to go,” Johnasen said. “As of right now, we have absolutely no plans set in stone.”
Johnasen added that whenever more concrete plans do exist, the county will conduct proper public outreach about them. Meanwhile, John Mizuno, administrator at the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions, said in a statement that his office has been conducting site visits on the neighbor islands to find potential sites for Green’s kauhale initiative.
“We have potential kauhale sites in Hilo and Kona, and we will be going through due diligence on these potential sites,” Mizuno said in the statement.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.