Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 7, 1 Iulai 2016 — Homeless relocated from longstanding Wahiawā encampment [ARTICLE]

Homeless relocated from longstanding Wahiawā encampment

By Ka Wai Ola Staff After two years of outreach to homeless individuals trespassing on Office of Hawaiian Affairs land in Wahiawā, OHA and social service providers started removing illegal campsites and tons of debris last month. At least 17 campsites were scattered throughout OHA's 511-acre property, creating a heahh and safety hazard on the former agricultural land. In addition, the encampment was located near the Kūkaniloko birthing stones, an ancient cultural site where royal babies were birthed.

Illegal campers had been informed ahead of time about the upcoming sweeps, so by June 15 more than half of the campsites had been abandoned and only about five people remained. In addition to tents, the homeless encampment included some elaborate multi-room structures, some with rusting and tattered furnishings and outfitted with makeshift doors. One even had a tunnel connecting two of the rooms. Clearing everything out of the area was expected to take a week, with approximately two tons of debris removed on the first day alone, mueh of it the pallets and fencing used as the foundation for some of the structures.

Although the structural debris could not be salvaged, campers ean retrieve other property removed from the encampment. Although some of the dislocated people told news crews they plan to set up eamp elsewhere, OHA and social service providers visited the site repeatedly in the two weeks leading up to the sweep to warn campers about what was coming up, either in person or in posted notices. Outreach workers from the Kalihi-Palama Heahh Center and the Institute for Human Services encouraged those displaced to move to shelters or pointed campers toward other SEE H0MELESS "II PAGE 19

resources to ultimately lead them to permanent housing. The Hawaiian Humane Society was also present to help take care of the campers' pets, while deputy state sheriffs enforced the trespassing violations. Onee the considerable amount of debris has been removed, the area will be cleared so it will no longer be possible to create a hidden eneampment on the property, whieh will be regularly monitored by security patrols. ■

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