‘The time is now’: City urges homeless to seek shelter ahead of storm

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Donning red T-shirts and enduring Wednesday’s humidity, a handful of personnel with the city’s Community Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE) urged homeless folks living in dangerous areas across the island to seek shelter before the upcoming storm.

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“The time is now to get out,” said Shayne Enright of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, which oversees CORE.

The team went to encampments along streams in Waipahu, Pearl City, Makiki.

The group also conducted outreach at another site under a bridge off Kapiolani Boulevard, where unsheltered people had to get rescued from flood waters.

“Once during the Kona lows and then a few years ago,” Enright said.

CORE wants to prevent repeats this next storm and said its advice has been working.

“Some of the people that said they are not going to leave today, said that they are going to look at leaving tomorrow. But we’ll be back. We’re going to continue to do the outreach for the next several days,” Enright added.

At the Makiki encampment in a creek off Wilder Avenue, nearby resident Sarah Burke said she encountered a man who she believes lives there last Saturday while she was waiting at a bus stop.

“He had his pants down and was pleasuring himself while staring at me, pointedly at me,” Burke recalled.

Restricted to a rollator and unable to walk quickly, Burke could not escape.

“I’m vulnerable. I don’t have the ability to get up and run away to the next bus stop. They say sex assault is a crime of opportunity, and he saw me as a victim,” Burke said. “There’s a predator right here in my neighborhood that’s basically living in my parking lot.”

Burke reported the incident to Honolulu police and the city told Hawaii News Now that CORE also went to the culvert Monday, cautioning a man living there to leave because of the upcoming storm, who reportedly left later.

Two years ago, HNN covered a fire at the encampment and reports of a bicycle chop shop there.

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“It’s been a real, real problem,” Burke said.

After the years-long problem at the culvert got personal for Burke, she hopes the storm outreach can lead to long-term solutions.

“We understand the frustration. We understand that people want the area cleaned up, we want the people to get the help that they need and that they deserve,” Enright added.

The Honolulu Police Department told HNN there were no updates for Burke’s case as of Wednesday.

A joint statement from Honolulu EMS and the Department of Consumer Services to HNN said, in part:

“Honolulu’s CORE team will continue to check the area and respond as appropriate. The City also notes that nonprofit service providers make regular visits to the area at least once a month to offer shelter and services to homeless individuals.”

For non-emergency concerns involving unsheltered individuals who may need assistance, contact the CORE non-emergency hotline at (808) 768-2673.

For situations where immediate health, well-being, and safety is threatened, call 911.

Community concerns regarding homeless encampments can also be submitted through the HNL 311 system.

HNL 311 can be accessed online or through the free HNL 311 app available in the Apple and Google Play stores.

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