The governor's homeless coordinator says that kind of service doesn't get people out of homelessness. Some who feed people in parks, and those who get the food, question that part of the plan.
Bob Erb is getting supper ready, not for him, but for 150 homeless people in Kapiolani Park through his Waikiki Beach Outreach Ministry.
"He says feed me when I’m hungry, he says give me drink when I’m thirsty, he says when I need clothes give me clothing,” said Erb. "If you have a love for god you'll do what god tells you to do."
But the governor and the administration's homeless coordinator have a different suggestion.
“We think that feeding people in the parks for example is not always the best way of helping people out of their homelessness,” said Marc Alexander, state coordinator on homelessness.
He has met and has more meetings ahead with church groups and other providers that bring food to the people, suggesting they help a shelter or outreach agency instead.
"They know what they're doing isn't really working because they're getting more homeless, not less homeless,” said Alexander.
Homeless living in Kapiolani Park say the availability of a free meal is not what attracts them there or keeps them there.
"No, no. It's just that we've got no place to go. Where can we go?" said Steven who lives in Kapiolani Park. "Some people say they don't want to go to the shelter because there isn't enough room. Another thing is bed bugs."
"Come on, you don't want the people to go around unfed, go to sleep with their bellies empty,” said Hector who also lives in Kapiolani Park.
As for Bob Erb and his ministry?
"I'm going to keep doing it. They can arrest me,” he said. "Just like the visitors use it they have picnics out there every day, I’m going to have a picnic out there every day."
Where and how to feed people is among many other aspects of the governor's nine-point plan, that centers around better coordination and delivery of existing services for homeless people statewide and cleaning up public spaces.
"We're going to be relentless. When we clean up an area it's going to stay that way and people who may have seen an opportunity to simply wait for an area to get cleaned up and then move back in are going to find that is not going to be possible,” said Governor Neil Abercrombie.
The plan seeks to leverage more private and federal money with about $23 million in existing state, city and federal funds to help homelessness.
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