The lease has run out for the mission, which serves between 350 and 600 meals each weekday to the poor and homeless. The operation is supported through private donations, participation by about 40 Oahu churches and grants from foundations, said Nikole Stankus, one of nine paid staff members.
It is the second time in the past year that pressure from businesses has driven a church-backed homeless relief effort from downtown Honolulu streets. Last year, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace shut down its "Sandwich Ministry," which dispensed midday meals for more than 15 years, after growing complaints about the clientele from Hawaii Pacific University and other Fort Street Mall neighbors.
Stankus said the River of Life move is mandated by several factors, including Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign to clean up Chinatown. The lease ran out in February but has been extended for 90 days.
"We support the mayor's desire for inner-city renewal; we will help any way we can," said her father, Jack Stankus, founder and executive director of the mission, in a news release. "We believe it's the best for all concerned to move the mission out of Chinatown. Our move will leave a void for some people. Not everyone can travel out of the neighborhood we've become a part of."
He and the board of directors have their sights on the old Oahu Railway & Land station on North King Street. They have been discussing leasing part of the building, which is on the Hawaii Registry of Historic Buildings.
But the welcome mat isn't exactly out on the other side of Nuuanu Stream, either.
When they described their planned move at a December meeting of the Kalihi/Palama Neighborhood Board, mission representatives heard opposition from area residents, particularly from Kukui Gardens housing on North Beretania Street.
"We are the only part of town which has lost a public park to the homeless," she said, referring to Aala Park. She pointed out that the two homeless shelters run by the Institute for Human Services are just a few blocks away in Iwilei.
"We know the homeless have to be fed and we are compassionate," Young said, and that's why the neighborhood board has not taken a stand against the River of Life moving into the old OR&L station.
Joel Criz, owner of a real estate business and a member of the mission's board of directors, acknowledged that "neighboring business would rather not have homeless people around."
Criz said the mission directors believe "the bottom line is, we can make a positive impact on the neighborhood and to Aala Park. We feel it (the move) should improve the situation in Aala Park, make the whole area a safer place. The object of the mission is to get people out of the park, off the streets and employed."
Nikole Stankus said the city administration tried to resolve the matter by suggesting other sites, including five locations in Kakaako. She said her father concluded they were not suitable, either because they were too expensive to renovate, or because they would duplicate relief efforts at Word of Life Christian Center, or because there are few homeless people living there and the community would not appreciate drawing them there.
"People have a fear of the homeless," said Stankus. Aside from the fact that the 10-year lease is up for the Sumida Building at 101 N. Pauahi St., the mission needs more room than the current limited space because "with welfare cutbacks, we are seeing more and more guests."
"We are seeing a change in clientele, more and more women and children, more families," said Stankus. "Since 1995, there has been a 77 percent increase in our food box distribution. On Fridays we distribute food boxes, mostly to the elderly, women and children. There are some, especially the elderly, who will come here but won't go to another agency."