A New Program To Help Homeless People On Oahu Is Off To A Slow Start … The CORE program has hired 15 people since starting operations in mid-October and has had to scale back plans to rely mostly on community health workers.
John Roberts Jr. was sprawled on the sidewalk, unable to move, next to his wheelchair on the corner of Hotel and River Streets in Chinatown. A team of first responders rushed to the scene after getting a call for help from community health workers.
The first responders hoisted the 74-year-old Navy veteran onto a stretcher and into the ambulance, then drove him to the Institute for Human Services, where he was cleaned up and given new clothes.
This has long been the reality of police and other first responders who often find themselves called on to help homeless people in Honolulu, potentially diverting the crews from more serious emergencies.
