Kapiolani Park Hours Push Out Homeless

The city began night closures at Kapiolani Park this week, forcing homeless campers to move elsewhere.KITV's Jodi Leong said she found South King Street dotted with homeless campers."From Alapai and south King Street to where the bus yard is, all the way down here to Stadium Park -- including the Pawa'a Neighborhood Park," said Leong.Leong said the park and the sidewalk along South King Street are full of homeless people and their carts."I was at Kapiolani Park until it got kind of rough staying there," said homeless camper Tony Carvelli. "They were pushing to get the homeless out months ago."Carvelli is one of dozens of homeless campers who once lived at Kapiolani Park. But complaints and concerns over safety and tourism are one reason the city said it is now closing the park daily between midnight and 5 a.m."I don't think any homeless person on this island wants to chase any tourism people away. It's a matter of where do you go?" said Carvelli.Carvelli said he is now living along South King Street in a tent on the sidewalk -- just outside of Pawa'a Neighborhood Park.He said police mostly leave them alone. But the Pawa'a park closes at 10 p.m. each night, forcing scores of other homeless campers to move their tents and belongings to the sidewalks every day."When you have nowhere to go and when you ask that question and you're told to pack up your things, but the question's never answered, where do we go? So, we go from one block to the next, to the next, to the next," said Carvelli.Carvelli said he became homeless because of a drug habit 11 years ago. But he said he is now clean and sober and trying to figure out how to get back on his feet in this struggling economy."Every day, there's one more person going into poverty, coming to the streets," said Carvelli. "I see it growing a lot."Homeless campers told KITV that they will continue to multiply as long as there is not enough low-income housing, homeless shelters and other government assistance to help people like Carvelli get a job and get back on their feet."I don't know where to go," said Carvelli.