Hawai‘i County and social services provider Hope Services have moved a group of homeless people from the Old Airport Park to temporary facilities on county property in Kona.

The one-acre property at Hale Kikaha is accommodating approximately 20 adults in tents. Facilities include portable toilets, a temporary water spigot and showers.

The move came as the county on Wednesday enforced a no-camping policy at the Old Airport Park, whereby all belongings and housing structures in the park were removed to improve the facility as a community park.

Prior to Wednesday’s move, outreach workers from HOPE Services, Veterans Outreach, the West Hawai’i Health Clinic, Access Capabilities, County Parks and Recreation, Office of Housing and Community Development, the Mayor’s Office (Kona) and faith-based volunteers were able to find a limited number of spaces at other homeless shelters and relatives’ homes.

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Available housing options were offered to the most vulnerable homeless people first, i.e., families, the elderly, chronically homeless, as well as those with substance abuse or mental health issues.

While the team of county and social services agencies tried to absorb the entire homeless population from Old Airport Park, the available housing inventory was insufficient.

Approximately 25 individuals remain without housing. The county is working to increase the number of beds at the Hale Kikaha shelter, while exploring a permanent site to house the homeless population.

The Hawai‘i Police Department will be monitoring to ensure that campers do not return to the park.

The enforcement took place as the county Department of Parks and Recreation gears up for cleanup efforts on Wednesday and Thursday,, Aug. 9 and 10, 2017.

Yesterday, Mayor Harry Kim issued an emergency proclamation under which zoning, building and fire codes were temporarily waived to enable the homeless people to be accommodated at the Hale Kikaha facility.

For more information, contact Lance Ni‘imi at (808) 961-8379.