City officials relocate 23 homeless people ahead of park maintenance project
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - City officials announced strides made during an outreach effort to relocate a group of homeless individuals on Thursday afternoon.
Officials say a combined "interagency effort" targeted an area between River Street to Pawaa In-Ha Park on Wednesday night. Because of the effort, 23 homeless individuals were given a ride to the shelter of their choice.
The number includes one person who opted to go into detox.
None of the homeless in Wednesday's outreach were forced to move off the street, according to city officials. According to officials, 80 of Oahu's homeless have been voluntarily moved off of the streets and into shelters since April.
"When you give people a free choice, they engage in their own decision making, they feel more empowered," said Marc Alexander, with the Mayor's office of Housing.
"And they do better cause they are going to a place they want to be in," Alexander said.
The city has plans to close the park on Friday until Aug. 31 for maintenance work that will include graffiti removal, tree trimming, and repairs to the park's irrigation system.
Copyright 2018 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
