During my evening walk in the park on March 27th, Prince Kuhio Day -- the day chosen by the City and County of Honolulu to "sweep" the homeless out of Ala Moana Park to clear the way for some necessary upgrades and park renovation -- several tents were visible at 9 p.m. Many people were seated on the rock wall, which borders the mauka side of the canal. I could see no police cars or vehicles from this vantage, even though the park was set to close in an hour at 10 p.m.

The first homeless couple I encountered was in their 40's and had packed their belongings and departed the park proper. They were sitting on the rock wall and watching the police activity in the park. Both were employed in part-time jobs, but had lost the lease to their apartment. They told me that they were not sure where they would spend the night, but did not plan to march to City Hall to protest the sweep, because, "It won’t work."

I continued Ewa along the Ala Moana sidewalk and met a woman in her 30's who was in the process of moving her belongings out of the park. She was neatly dressed, had a bicycle, large suitcase and several small bags. It seemed there was no way she could carry all her belongings on her bike, but she was determined to do so. She expressed concern, not for her own condition, but for some of the elderly and disabled people having to depart the park that night.

The third person I encountered was a 50-ish fellow sitting on the wall and gazing back into the park. He was a bit incoherent when I spoke with him, but he did inform me that City posters notified most of the homeless during the previous week that tonight they would have to leave. If they had not seen the posters, the police or charity workers spread the news.

By that time it was 10 pm, the deadline for park closing. I decided to go into the park and watch the police go about the difficult business of rousting the hold outs.

There was not a heavy police presence that evening. I only saw one police cruiser and two officers on ATVs covering the park's interior.

After about 20 minutes of walking along the beach side, one officer approached me and very politely advised that the park was closed and it was time to leave.

I introduced myself and asked how the operation was going, were the homeless people cooperating and did he have to make any arrests?

The officer said everyone had been cooperative so far, but there were a few holdouts. As of about 10:45 p.m. they had made no arrests.

The two officers went about their duty as I walked out of the park. I did have the opportunity to watch them as they approached a couple of people camped in the bushes near the McCoy Pavilion. The officers treated the people humanely and with dignity.

I met up with a few other homeless people on my way out of the park.

One couple, of whom the husband was a Vietnam veteran, was planning to head towards Ala Moana Mall for the night and return to the park in the morning.

He was concerned that the sleep deprivation they would experience was akin to torture. According to this couple, that since they pay taxes, they should be allowed to sleep in the park.

I learned from speaking to these homeless people during the sweep, that truly many reasons cause people to become homeless.

Solving the problem will not be easy or one solution will not work for all. Some homeless could become homeowners/renters if they just had the finances to pay security deposits and first/last month’s rent.

Others could have taken advantage of veterans programs. And still others will need society’s safety net to take them off the street or out of the park.

No one answer will suit the homeless I met that night.

Three proposals among others seem to have merit.

The first is to allow the establishment of mobile home parks in Hawaii. Mobile homes economical and fairly easy to assemble with the skills of masons to pour the cement pads and carpenters to attach the (usually two) sides. The cost of these homes is substantially less than original construction.

Secondly, for the veterans, the policy prohibiting families or couples from residing in the Kaleloa veteran’s shelter should be immediately lifted. This will allow any former service member to reside in the shelter.

Thirdly, agencies should provide homeless, destitute people wishing to relocate to lower cost of living areas on the mainland or elsewhere, a one-way plane ticket. Several of the people I spoke to in Ala Moana Park regretted coming to Hawaii and leaving mainland cities where their resources covered their housing.

Hawaii’s churches, social service agencies and several government programs provide many benefits and services for the growing homeless population. It is now time to implement other creative solutions like the ones noted above.

Anne V. Stevens is a Republican in the state House of Representatives who represents Ala Moana, Kakaako and Waikiki

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