It's a busy, bustling, blue sky morning in Waikīkī.
Just after 9 a.m. Wednesday, a small group gathers outside of St. Augustine by the Sea Catholic Church — a joint outreach team that includes members of the Waikīkī Business Improvement District and its Safe and Sound Waikīkī program, the Institute for Human Services, Waikīkī Health and other business partners.
Each Wednesday they take to the Waikīkī district on foot, meeting homeless individuals where they are, providing basic on-the-spot medical care and connecting individuals to social services and further health care options — to those who want it. Some do. Others don't.
A lot of the work aims to build trust among those unsheltered on the street — some individuals may not accept help at first, but might do so later.
The long-term goal is to get everyone into stable housing, connected with long-term health care, or get individuals more receptive to receiving services, Katie Kaahanui, executive coordinator of Safe & Sound told Aloha State Daily.
On May 28, Aloha State Daily joined the walk through Waikīkī, observing the work they do.
The first stop — Kūhiō Beach Park.
Locals and visitors alike make their way down Kalākaua Avenue — walking their dogs; visiting the shops along the popular thoroughfare; making their way to the bright blue waters, sunscreen lathered on, floaties in hand. A group of girls perform hula on the sand. The pink facade of the Royal Hawaiian stands out in the background.
The bright slice of paradise is a contrast to the reality some here face.
At Kūhiō Beach, Dr. Louie Gangcuangco, a physician with Waikīkī Health, approaches and introduces himself to a man sitting on a bench. After they talk, the doctor digs into his medicine bag and pulls out supplies to treat a wound on the man's leg.
Sue Willick, an outreach specialist with the Waikīkī Business Improvement District and one of WBID's Aloha Ambassadors, approaches another man sitting nearby and introduces herself. We don't hear what she says, but she talks to him for a bit.
She calls herself a "walking referral booth." Whatever someone needs, she'll connect them with the right people.
When we asked later why this kind of work is important to her, Willick's answer is simple: compassion.
Kaahanui said the joint partnership launched in January, "because we noticed that there were some gaps in the amount of time that people were connected to services."
This effort began as a partnership between WBID and Waikīkī Health, but an existing partnership with IHS made the outreach team bigger, she said.
"It was my goal to do whatever we could to decrease the amount of time [it takes for] people [to] get connected to really critical pieces of care that they need," she said. "Whether it's housing, whether it's shelter, health care services, we want to all come together and have everybody on board who can provide those services for everyone."
Desiree Mosiman, general manager of International Market Place, joined the outreach efforts on Wednesday.
"I believe in the mission and the approach that the WBID and Waikīkī Health and IHS and all these partnerships are taking, and I like that Hawai‘i is trying new things, new initiatives to help our homeless community," she told ASD. "I wanted to just observe how we do this, especially because it affects all of us in Waikīkī and beyond."
As the outreach effort continues Wednesday, the group moves down Kalākaua Avenue, stopping to help others as they go.
A man whom team members say previously rejected health care efforts approaches and asks for assistance.
But the tones of the interactions vary.
At one point, a man who members of the team have worked with previously, approaches, upset and using obscenities.
You've got to have a thick skin, Kaahanui said, and "to not take it personally and just remember why you're doing it, and sometimes this role is the long game."
The group crosses the road and continues up Ka‘iulani Boulevard and Kānekapōlei Street, pausing briefly at Princess Ka‘iulani Triangle before turning onto Kūhiō Avenue.
Kaahanui says Wednesdays are "a lot of us just walking around and seeing who we can find, which has been kind of tricky sometimes. If it rains, it's hard."
However, a new outreach pop-up, where people can come find resources in a set location, is in the works for late next month. Details of that are still pending.
This Wednesday, Kaahanui said Waikīkī Health was able to establish two new patients and reconnect with four existing patients.
Since the partnership launched through April 30, there have been 71 outreach interactions, 15 new patients who have established care at Waikīkī Health, and 15 individuals who were given on-street medical care, according to information provided by Kaahanui. There's been one relocation, with two more in process.
Kaahanui's role in WBID is fairly new.
"They didn't have an outreach-focused position prior to 2023, but I think it just shows that we're all here rolling up our sleeves to address the issue together," said Kaahanui, whose background is in criminal justice and mental health counseling. "I enjoy being out on the street, connecting people to care, but I realized that we need to do it collectively because no one agency can solve the issue. I think it's valuable to have the health care facility in here. They're already in district. IHS sends somebody just to focus on Waikīkī as well. It allows us to operate as one, even though we're all from different silos or sectors. I think that's what helps that cycle of somebody getting connected to long-term care."
Gov. Josh Green has often said that housing is health care. Kaahanui and Gangcuangco say the same.
"Health care can look like so many different things, but [connecting people to health care on the street] is important because it's one step in somebody's long-term recovery," Kaahanui said. "That little wound that we're treating can help get somebody's health back [or] restored. They're able to get housing, get a job, and so it's important to just take that first step with everybody."
Gangcuangco has lived in Waikīkī for more than a decade himself. He told ASD his participation is "really about giving back and hopefully making a change for the community where I actually live and work."
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
