A new survey estimates about 284 homeless people live in Waikiki, neighboring Ala Moana Beach Park, and along the mauka end of Ala Wai Park — a figure social service providers suspect is far lower than the actual population.

Business leaders say the count points to a need for more programs and services in Waikiki, which they contend has been overlooked as the state attempts to house the hundreds of people who live in tents along the Wai'anae Coast.

"As a business community, we're concerned," said Jan Yamane, executive director of the Waikiki Business Improvement District Association. "It has the potential to impact our visitors. I was a little surprised; I thought it might have been lower."

University of Hawai'i-Manoa graduate students conducted the survey early in the morning on Sept. 15 as part of a project for the improvement district aimed at identifying the scope of the homeless problem in Waikiki and potential solutions.

The students later interviewed 90 homeless people in Waikiki and found about one-third worked and 38 percent had been on the streets for less than a year. Also, about 42 percent of those interviewed said they were homeless because they had problems paying their rent or had been evicted. Unemployment was the second-largest cause of homelessness among those surveyed.

The results of the survey were presented yesterday at a University of Hawai'i forum designed to promote livable communities. In addition, students pored over policies in other cities for ideas on how to reduce homelessness in Waikiki.

Darlene Hein, director of the Waikiki Health Center's Care-a-Van program, which distributes food and health supplies to homeless people, said the survey's total is lower than what she would expect. She added that homeless counts are commonly lower than actual figures.

"A lot of people who are homeless don't look homeless," she said. "There is a segment of the homeless who really blend in."

Karl Kim, a professor of urban planning at UH who helped oversee the project, said the count was conducted under federal guidelines for "point-in-time" surveys. Included in the total are people who were sleeping on benches, mats on the ground and in cars at the park. Students combed Waikiki proper, Kapi'olani Park, Ala Wai Park and Ala Moana Beach Park with police officers, who helped point out homeless people.

Kim said he hopes the census highlights the issue of homelessness in Waikiki. "There's been a lot of attention to the Leeward Coast, but to our knowledge there had never been a focus on Waikiki," he said.

Hein agreed and suggested that every community on the island draft a plan for addressing homelessness.

"What we need is diversified, scattered low-income housing," she said. "We need some in Waikiki and in Kailua and everywhere."

Yamane, of the Waikiki improvement district, said her association will take up the survey in an upcoming board meeting and brainstorm about possible programs or partnerships with nonprofits. The association's members will also talk about possible policy initiatives.

"Obviously, we'll be looking for programs that would be applicable in Waikiki," she said. "We can't work in isolation to address the issue. We want to work in partnership with city, state and federal government officials. We could develop a program specifically for Waikiki that would involve our businesses and nonprofit organization."

The university's urban planning department took up the survey to serve as a final project for master's degree students. Kim said the census was completed as a community service. Many times, he added, there is not enough funding to conduct such surveys.

Mike Dahilig, an urban planning graduate student, said interviewing homeless people for the survey was instructive and allowed him to better understand the issue.

"To be quite honest, this was not something that was even on my radar," he said. "For me to step into this project, it was something new and eye-opening. The work I've done thus far has really changed my perspective as to what are the issues confronting the homeless."

Dahilig said the survey showed there is diversity in the homeless population, just like in the general population. A better understanding of the demographics could ideally help the state and city make better policy decisions, he said.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.