HONOLULU -- There's a proposal to create a campground for the homeless at Sand Island state park.

 

Sand Island State Recreation area, as it's officially known, looks virtually deserted most weekdays. It fills up more often on weekends.

 

A proposal introduced at this year's legislative session calls for a campground for the homeless to be established here, taking up no more than one half of the park.

 

"I think it would benefit the people, I mean it's gonna be some rules and we'd understand that. I think it would be beneficial," said Mark Townley, one of roughly 75 homeless people who use Sand Island park during the day.

 

“The problem is you're gonna have people who are gonna wanna come and go. Myself, I'm looking for work all the time," said Townley, who lives in a van with his girlfriend and their four children, aged 4 1/2 months to 5 years old.

 

The park closes at 6:45 p.m. weeknights, so no homeless people live there around the clock.

 

Waianae State Sen. Maile Shimabukuro, D-Waianae, Mahaka, is one of the co-sponsors of the proposal.

 

"People on the Waianae Coast really do feel as if we've done our fair share of having homeless along our coastline for decades now, so the community advocates don't support putting a safe zone, a campground, along the Waianae coast," said Shimabukuro.

 

Some park users who refused to be identified and spoke to KITV 4 News off-camera worried that a homeless camp would take up space meant for the public and they were concerned it would be an eyesore and unsanitary.

 

But other park users like the proposal.

 

"I think it's a great idea. There's a lot of homeless people here anyway. So, they'd never be any trouble here. As long as it's regulated, it would be a great idea," said Fritz Von Schlegell of Makiki.

 

Mike Nakamoto of Kalihi, who ate his lunch and read the Bible at Sand Island beach early Friday afternoon said, "If it would help them to kind of get back on their feet and some place where they will at least have a place to stay that's legal. And it's cared for and taken care of, then it would be fine."

 

Sione Ofa, also of Kalihi, was eating lunch at a picnic table at the park Friday. "That's a good idea, you know, at least the homeless have a safe place over here, better than live on the street out there on the sidewalk and stuff," Ofa said.

 

State parks officials have opposed similar proposals in recent years, worried about cutting off part of the park from the public, as well as sanitation and security issues.

 

But that was during the administration of former Gov. Linda Lingle, a Republican. Now that there's a new governor, Neil Abercrombie, who's a fairly liberal Democrat, that position on a homeless camp at Sand Island park could change.