Some downtown Hilo business owners are conflicted about a temporary shelter erected on Ponahawai Street to house the area’s homeless population.
In early July, Hawaii County established what it called a “temporary respite area” on a small lot between Kilauea and Kamehameha Avenues.
Consisting of 20 tents and 10 portable toilets, the encampment was intended to temporarily house homeless individuals who had been sheltering along or in the nearby canal, in advance of an upcoming canal inspection by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
But a little over a week after the camp was set up, nearby business owners are concerned about its impact to the area — and their livelihoods.
“It’s been tough for everybody’s business,” said Keli‘i Wilson, owner of the Knickknackery antique shop, located just across the street from the encampment. “I’ll see cars park over there for just a second, before they decide to park somewhere else.”
Wilson said that while some of his clientele are tourists who might hail from cities with more dire homeless problems than Hilo, and are therefore unfazed by the camp, local customers have all wanted to know what is going on across the street.
What happens at the camp is often unsavory, said another nearby business owner, who spoke on condition of anonymity. With a clear line of sight to the camp from his business, customers are treated to a tableau of fights between residents, domestic violence, apparent drug deals and more, he said.
“There’s domestic violence every two hours,” the owner said, adding that a simple fence which was installed to control ingress and egress to the camp was almost immediately pulled down. “Everyone (of my customers) has to watch.”
Wilson also lamented that the lot was formerly a pleasant green park area with several palm trees, although the new camp didn’t change that — the trees and grass were cut last year in order to use the area as a roadwork staging area.
But Wilson added he believes the temporary camp is an improvement compared to the makeshift camp of tarps and tents that was there previously.
”It’s more controlled, it’s cleaner, it’s more quiet,” Wilson said. “Sure, it’s right in your face, but it’s a bit better to look at.”
While Wilson was sympathetic to the need for the encampment, he added that the county’s rollout of the project was abrupt, with business owners unaware of the plan until the camp started being built.
Conditions could improve in the future, however. Housing Administrator Susan Kunz confirmed via email that a contract had been signed with a security company which would be on site as of Monday.
A statement by Mayor Mitch Roth released July 8 stated that the camp will only be in place through the end of July.
A semi-permanent shelter space is being developed at the nearby Salvation Army and is set to open in August.
Lorraine Shin, president of the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association, said she understands the frustrations of business owners, but added that the homelessness problem in downtown Hilo has been in dire need of a solution for years.
She also said that many of the illicit activities associated with the camp area have been commonplace throughout downtown.
“Nothing about this situation is good,” said Downtown Improvement Association member Nancy Cabral. “But I just hope they don’t keep the temporary shelter up after the Salvation Army camp opens up.”
Cabral added that the Salvation Army shelter will not be enough to fully solve the homelessness problem downtown — the camp will have a capacity of only 25 — so the county should prioritize helping the unhoused in Hilo before bringing in those from other parts of the island.
“Right now, it’s a good starting point,” Shin said. “We needed to get them out of an unsafe place. … But I’m not happy that we weren’t consulted.”
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.