Obama Presidential Library: Homelessness and Hawaii’s Campaign
Authorities need to remedy the situation on the streets of Kakaako if Honolulu hopes to secure a portion of the presidential legacy.
Hawaii is working hard to win the competition to house a portion of President Barack Obama’s political legacy in the form of a presidential library or center.
Given the somewhat long-shot nature of Hawaii’s bid — Obama’s other hometown of Chicago and New York City seem to be frontrunners for an actual library — the Hawaii Presidential Center Initiative’s best hope may be as a sort of satellite presidential center.
And if Hawaii were chosen for that, it would be a laudable result. Such a center would likely become a top visitor attraction in the islands. Depending on which design was chosen, it could create as many as 2,000 construction-related jobs and bring in at least $25 million to city and state coffers in new tax revenue, according to projections.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Construction of the center, which is expected to cost $200 million to $300 million, is expected to be funded by the private sector, so that would amount to a cash infusion for the local economy.
But for Hawaii to improve its chances, Honolulu must meaningfully, compassionately and competently address homelessness in Kakaako.
If President Obama decides to visit the proposed site on eight acres of waterfront parkland in Kakaako, he will almost certainly come windshield-to-face with some of the many people, including numerous families, who live in tents on sidewalks in the few streets leading into the area.
At times, the rows of ramshackle tents, drying laundry, piled up possessions and the small children playing in the streets offer a vision of urban poverty more commonly associated with countries like Guatemala, the Democratic Republic of Congo or Cambodia.
The sidewalk encampments frequently change in size and shape amid police crackdowns, but a November count found 95 tents in the area, with several people frequently sleeping in the same one.
At times, the rows of ramshackle tents, drying laundry, piled up possessions and the small children playing in the streets offer a vision of urban poverty more commonly associated with countries like Guatemala, the Democratic Republic of Congo or Cambodia.
Such visions hardly offer a convincing argument in favor of placing a portion of Obama’s presidential heritage here. They also highlight the risk of a public relations nightmare for the president and his legacy. Just imagine if the president were perceived to be associated with the sort of police crackdowns recently seen in places like Waikiki, Chinatown and Kakaako.
To avoid such a scenario and improve Hawaii’s chances, the city should find suitable long-term housing for the people living on the streets around the area. Just forcing them to move on to another area, as happened in many recent raids, only shifts the problem around.
That is one of the main effects of the  recently signed by Mayor Kirk Caldwell. The ban applies to many parts of Oahu but not Kakaako, meaning that homeless people pushed out of other areas by the police could migrate to the very place where the city is hoping to win the right to create a major new attraction.
The city has a wide array of policies to house homeless, but in some ways, those efforts have deprioritized some of the homeless people who live on the streets around the proposed Kakaako site. Housing First policies largely target chronic homeless people, often with addictions or mental illnesses, who are most likely to be single men. A notable number of the homeless in Kakaako have families and some have jobs.
If the city and the state offer a convincing pathway toward resolving the homeless crisis in Kakaako and can show progress toward improving the lives of the people at the site, it might just turn a negative into a plus.
More tents line Olomehani Street nearby.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
After all, if Honolulu can show that the process itself is causing good things to happen, it could instill greater faith in the rest of its pitch for the Obama center.
Ultimately, Hawaii could benefit greatly from a natural meeting spot for local, national and international policy makers and thinkers, as well as a new draw for residents and tourists. Peripherally, such a place could also generate momentum and add gravitas to the University of Hawaii, which would administer the center.
With a decision looming in early 2015, the city and the state need to become more effective in housing the homeless people in Kakaako if they want to become home to some sort of Obama-related institution.
