City says homeless program has helped hundreds in pandemic
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Mapunapuna, HI (KITV) — The city says it’s helped hundreds of unsheltered people during this pandemic through a program called POST or the Provisional Outdoor Screening and Triage program at Ke’ehi Lagoon Beach Park. POST started in April to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among Oahu’s homeless. The city says it has cost about $2.5 million to run so far, using federal CARES Act funds.
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell toured the site Thursday and announced that they’ve so far had over 500 people stay in these tents, helped 231 of those folks get permanent housing, served 15,000 meals, and have had a total of only seven COVID-19 cases.
The Honolulu Police Department manages the program because, it says, their officers interact most with the community. “We’ll never know the exact impact of what we’re doing out here but if we’ve saved at least one life and mitigated the spread of COVID with our unsheltered community, I think that’s a success,” says Acting Lt. Dan O’Neill.
“It’s voluntary to enter the POST. They can request help when an officer or social service provider encounters them. When they arrive at POST all guests get a care package, an individual campground with a ten all to themselves, for their own personal space,” explains O’Neill.
Each guest is given food, water, access to charging stations for their devices, and medical help. Right now there are 89 people in the POST program, but there are 110 tents up. The program can expand. Lt. O’Neill says there are hundreds more tents they can erect.
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