HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Crisis management teams supported by law enforcement are removing mentally ill homeless people from the streets of Oahu and taking them to medical facilities for testing rather than jail.<\/p>\n
Pilot program MH-3 began in January. <\/p>\n
About 60 people from across the island were taken to hospitals and mental health crisis centers. Six of them refused and had to be handcuffed and taken to a treatment facility in a police car.<\/p>\n
They didn’t have to be pinned to the ground or physically forced.<\/p>\n
The Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement Team, a core arm of Honolulu Emergency Medical Services, previously tried to house people suffering from severe mental distress, but many refused.<\/p>\n
CORE currently works with law enforcement three times a week for mandatory care, backed by legislation passed last year.<\/p>\n “They’re not in trouble, they’re not breaking any laws, but they’re a danger to themselves and others and may be inadvertently taken to a facility by ambulance or police car for emergency evaluation,” said Honolulu Emergency Services Director Dr. James Ireland. <\/p>\n CORE and sheriff’s deputies were working in Chinatown the day HNN Investigations caught them. Customers at Ray Shop passed by and observed people talking toward the building, making obscene gestures and lewd acts toward customers as they tried to enjoy their meals on the restaurant’s patio.<\/p>\n One man’s pants came close to his thighs. MP Lei store owner Sam Say said the man had done similar things in front of children before. Sei also said the man uses his home’s parking lot as a toilet, and Sei starts cleaning it most mornings.<\/p>\n “It’s terrible because no one wants to touch his poop every day,” he said.<\/p>\n A background check revealed that the man had a criminal history, including sexual assault and robbery. CORE took him to the Behavioral Health Crisis Center, where a deputy accompanied him.<\/p>\n Ireland said many of the people being transported require medication, explaining: “One of the problems with mental illness is that patients don’t have insight. They don’t have insight into their condition.”<\/p>\n Another woman, barefoot and hungry, rummaged through trash cans and walked down the street. <\/p>\n “It tugs at some people’s heartstrings. It makes you sad for certain types of people,” says Chuck Bassler of Fete, a restaurant with James Beard Award-winning chefs. The patio is often used by patrons. <\/p>\n City Council member Tyler dos Santos Tam, who represents Chinatown, was speaking with business owners along with state Senate candidate Tricia Nakamatsu. They were able to see the MH-3 program in action.<\/p>\n “People who are willing to accept help are getting help. They are getting social services. They are getting the support they need. The people who remain on the streets are really difficult cases. And they need this kind of intervention,” Dos Santos Tam said.<\/p>\n Nakamatsu said the program addresses humanitarian needs.<\/p>\n “I think when you look at the situation they’re in, you understand that it’s humane to ask for help,” she says.<\/p>\n Of the 60 people transferred island-wide by the MH-3 program so far this year, a third are still being treated off the streets in Aara or Leahi recreation centers or transitional housing.<\/p>\n The pilot program will be expanded to five days a week this summer.<\/p>\n Currently, sheriff’s deputies are working overtime to perform their duties, but that could change if the pilot program becomes permanent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.<\/i><\/p>\n #Crisis #management #team #applies #law #treat #mentally #ill #homeless #Oahu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Crisis management teams supported by law enforcement are removing mentally ill homeless people from the streets of Oahu and taking them to medical facilities for testing rather than jail. Pilot program MH-3 began in January. About 60 people from across the island were taken to hospitals and mental health crisis centers. 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