A gargantuan homeless encampment appeared on an idyllic Hawaii island, prompting outraged authorities to take action.
Multiple makeshift waterborne structures have occupied Keehi Stream in Kalihi, a neighborhood of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, since at least 2017, according to the Star Advertiser.
The largest encampment takes up about 600 square feet, is two stories tall and floats solely on pontoons.
It is so large and disruptive that it can be seen from Honolulu's overhead rail system.
Other individual tents and makeshift homes have also taken up room on the waterway, though that is now set to stop.
As of last Thursday, state, city and private agencies have started clearing out the massive encampment.
Authorities aim to clear out the homeless encampment in six weeks before the start of hurricane season, according to Hawaii News Now.
'If you walk around and see the encampments, and see the debris that's here, very difficult to see that this is a safe place for anybody to be,' Ed Sniffen, the Hawaii Department of Transportation director, told the outlet.
A massive two-story homeless encampment that is about 600 square feet appeared on the Hawaii island of Oahu
Waterborne structures have occupied Keehi Stream in Kalihi since 2017 but that is now set to stop
Hawaii authorities are hoping to fully clear out the homeless encampment in six weeks before hurricane season starts
Honolulu's director of homeless solutions, Roy Miyahira, acknowledged that the encampment could be considered 'extremely impressive.'
However, Miyahira also expressed his concern about how 'there's tons of stuff' regularly discarded into the water.
That could include human and animal feces, as well as urine. The water leads directly into the ocean.
'There are huge environmental concerns in that area, and the discharges from these structures is not helping that,' Miyahira told the Star Advertiser.
The floating shelters were located next to Kahauiki Village, a plantation–style housing community operated by the Institute for Human Services of Hawaii and described as a 'supportive environment' for formerly homeless families.
Connie Mitchell, the agency's executive director, told the outlet that the encampment 'doesn't go with what we're trying to do here.'
'There's no hygiene,' Mitchell told the outlet. 'They don't want to be part of the community.'
In June 2024, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources swept the state–controlled side of Keehi Stream and found 55 people living in the shelters and on land.
Questions have been raised about the hygiene and conditions of the homeless encampment
Hawaii authorities have said that 'it is difficult to identify specific individuals who may be causing the problems, so the entire encampment needs to be addressed'
Mitchell said that another issue was the dogs in the encampment, which were often unfriendly due to their starved conditions.
'There's a lot of people and a lot of dogs down there,' Mitchell said. 'I don't think it's safe to go down there and they obviously don't want people going into that area.'
She added that the floating camps were 'not an easy place for our team to do outreach.'
At times, Mitchell said, the people living on the shelters had been chased by police into Kahauiki Village.
'At Ke'ehi Stream,' Aiu said in a statement, 'the real issue is not the two–story houseboat. Dogs are left to run free and they chase people, theft is affecting adjacent businesses, and there are various sanitation issues ongoing. It is difficult to identify specific individuals who may be causing the problems, so the entire encampment needs to be addressed.'
The cultural resources manager for Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources, Pua Aiu, said 'it is difficult to identify specific individuals who may be causing the problems, so the entire encampment needs to be addressed.'
'At Ke'ehi Stream, the real issue is not the two–story houseboat,' Aiu said. 'Dogs are left to run free and they chase people, theft is affecting adjacent businesses, and there are various sanitation issues ongoing.'
State, city and private agencies started clearing out the massive encampment last Thursday
Officials have said they are concerned about the unfriendly dogs running rampant on the waterborne structures
The city's director of homeless solutions, Roy Miyahira, admitted that some of the encampments appear impressive but were problematic
The mayor of Honolulu, Rick Blangiardi, said that 'this next phase reflects strong coordination between the City, State, and our nonprofit partners to address conditions along Keehi Stream in a thoughtful and responsible way.'
Blangiardi said that outreach teams had been 'building relationships and connecting individuals to services and pathways toward housing' for months.
'As we move forward, our focus is on safety for those in the area and for the surrounding community, while also addressing environmental concerns through the removal of vegetation and debris,' his statement added.
'Our approach remains steady, coordinated, and centered on long–term solutions for both the community and those in need.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Honolulu mayor's office, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Institute for Human Services of Hawaii for further comment.