Homelessness became the main topic Thursday at a County Council discussion on camping problems at county parks. County officials said campers without permits, and those who stay beyond a yearly cap of 60 days of camping, are symptoms of Kauai’s
Homelessness became the main topic Thursday at a County Council discussion on camping problems at county parks.
County officials said campers without permits, and those who stay beyond a yearly cap of 60 days of camping, are symptoms of Kauai’s homeless problem.
To help ease the homeless problem, county officials, meeting at the historic Kauai County Building, suggested obtaining federal funds for emergency housing, converting rooms at the old Coco Palms Hotel into housing for the homeless or using portable county buildings to shelter them.
The homeless problem is so severe Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura likened it to a “crisis-like” situation, and said that comprehensive solutions must be found.
County officials said that establishing emergency units for the homeless would free up campgrounds for recreational use. County permits are issued for recreational purposes, not for housing, they said.
To rectify the camping problem, Mayor Bryan Baptiste, his administrative assistant, Gary Heu and members and non-members of the council’s committee on Parks and Public Works, which conducted the workshop, proposed solutions.
They included stiffer enforcement of the county law governing camping, clearing out illegal activities at county campsites and using sensitivity in dealing with residents, including single mothers with children, with no place to live but in tents or cars at county beaches and parks.
Officials didn’t decide on a course of action, but administration officials are apparently eager to forge a solution as summer approaches and camping activities increase.
Campers can apply for permits that allow them to stay at a campsite for up to six days in a row. On the seventh day, county workers clean the beach parks, and campers must find other accommodations. Some move on to other beach parks, others return to their homes on Kauai or leave the island after completing their camping trip.
Overnight camping is allowed at county parks located at Haena Beach Park, Black Pot Beach in Hanalei, Anini Beach and Anahola Beach, Hanamaulu Beach, Salt Pond in Hanapepe and Lucy Wright Park in Waimea.
Baptiste and Heu said an evolving problem is long-term campers who have camped illegally without permits and have exceeded the 60-day camping cap.
The long-term campers include the “legitimate homeless,” folks who work at jobs and have children who attend school, but prefer to camp out because they can’t find affordable housing, the mayor said.
Such campers have made their homes at county parks and beaches and have created a “tent city” atmosphere, Heu said. Some campers hook up power cords to county facilities for electricity, and others use county water.
Heu said some campers glared at him when he rode up to a campsite in a county-marked vehicle. The sight of these campers is “intimidating” and discourages other residents from using the campgrounds, Heu said.
Heu said enforcement of the law is probably necessary, but noted that rangers and police officers should show sensitivity to people who are truly homeless and have no place to go.
Baptiste said strict enforcement of the law was probably not the way to go, adding he worried for the homeless. “Where do these people go if they have no other place to stay but at county campgrounds),” Baptiste said.
He said 15 homeless adults and 21 homeless youths have camped out at Hanamaulu Beach, and some work and some go to school.
These people are struggling to make ends meet, and to kick them off the campground would seem unjust, Baptiste said.
Councilman Mel Rapozo said he also sympathizes with residents who are down on the luck, but said other residents should have the right to use the campsites as well, he said.
Rapozo recommended a 30-day grace period for all campers. At the end of that period, the campers, if they qualify, should get permits and follow the camping law, he said.
Rapozo suggested special funds be used to put single mothers and children into hotels so that they can have the time to find alternate housing.
“This will be a way to get people back on their feet,” Rapozo said. If nothing is done, those people will stay at the beaches indefinitely, he said.
Rapozo added that local residents camping out should be able to find temporary housing with the help of families on the island.
Rapozo said he would favor using county rangers and police officers to clear out illegal campers.
At the same time, the county has to show its compassion and look at each incident “on a case-by-case basis,” he said.
But asking illegal campers to leave is not an easy task, Baptiste said.
Campers involved with the Hawaiian independence movement, and claiming sovereignty over the campground lands, have refused to leave them, Baptiste said.
Baptiste also said campers were cleared out of Haena Beach Park, but they took temporary refuge in the Dry Cave. The same folks then moved back to the North Shore Beach when the county ranger left.
Police officers have driven by parks with illegal campers, and patrol cars have been posted to deter illegal activities at the parks, Baptiste said. But the illegal campers remain in some cases.
Baptiste said some people have recommended amending the law to give the county’s two rangers more power to handle illegal campers.
But that may not be the way to go, as rangers may get injured confronting such groups, Baptiste said.
Among other options to resolve the camping problem, councilman Jay Furfaro also recommended stricter enforcement of the camping law.
Saying he was speaking only on his behalf and not for the rest of the council, council chair Kaipo Asing said it was solely the administration’s job to collect data on camping violations and to verify them.
“This is not a legislative function,” Asing said. “You should do your homework first.”
After the administration has done its job, it should implement solutions approved by the council, Asing said.
Baptiste said it was not his intention to burden the council with the camping problems, and that he was hoping to form a partnership with the council to work together on solutions that would benefit the island.
Solving the camping problem means addressing the homeless issue, Furfaro said.
Soliciting federal Housing and Urban Development funds to provide housing for homeless people may work, he said.
Furfaro said as much as he and others would like to see the Coco Palms Hotel be restored as a premier resort, that is not likely to happen.
The building was severely damaged by Hurricane Iniki in 1992, and has languished in disrepair.
Instead, attention should be given to possibly converting some of the rooms into units to help the homeless, Furfaro said.
Baptiste said another solution to the homeless situation may be to use county portables to house the homeless.
Yukimura said she also sympathizes with residents with no place to go, and added that the pending development of the second phase of Kalepa Village, a county project, would help ease homelessness.
