The number of homeless people living in beach parks along the Wai'anae Coast is between 725 and 850, with those people living in 325 to 350 campsites, Wai'anae Community Outreach said after conducting a count this week.

While the numbers have increased over the years, the 850 total is far short of the 4,000 that some government and social agencies had estimated. Still, nearly one out of every 50 people on the Wai'anae Coast is homeless, said Michael Ullman, who coordinated the count.

"Considering a population of the Wai'anae Coast, which is a little under 50,000, to have somewhat close to 800 or so homeless, that's a pretty high density," Ullman said. "It's probably one of the higher densities certainly in Hawai'i and probably in the country."

Ullman said the level of homelessness "continues to be extremely high and unacceptable." The count does not include the homeless who live mauka of Farrington Highway and are not in a beach park. He said these people are scattered, making them difficult to count.

The nonprofit agency conducted a count of the homeless on Sunday and Monday from Kahe Point to Ka'ena Point. More than 70 volunteers, including current and former homeless people, took part.

In a preliminary report, the organization estimated that the 325 to 350 campsites that the Wai'anae homeless are living in includes 350 tents, 150 cars and many dwellings covered by tarps. The last two counts showed 650 homeless in May 2005 and 400 in 2003.

"One of the main goals of this count is to jump-start a process where all the beach parks on O'ahu are counted on a quarterly basis which reflects the urgency of the ongoing crisis and gives local government officials an ability to measure the effectiveness of any new interventions," Ullman said.

Kanani Kaaiawahia Bulawan, Wai'anae Community Outreach executive director, said the number of homeless may have dropped over the past few weeks because of beach cleanups. Bulawan said the population probably peaked at 1,200 earlier this summer.

"Given the park cleanup and other efforts to move the homeless out of certain areas, it is not surprising that the number is lower than if the count had been held in June or July," Bulawan said. "This is why we need to count the parks more often."

Many homeless people told the volunteers that they had been asked to move, and sometimes threatened, while others were cited by police for illegal camping. Many had packed up and left before the count was conducted, Bulawan said.

Ullman said it is important to have an accurate count so service providers and government agencies can be sure that the right people are receiving the aid.

"The state is planning to open up some more housing facilities, whether it's transitional or permanent, and that's one of the reasons we wanted to get a count to see when we open those things up if there is a decrease (of homelessness), or did it stay the same? Did people actually move from the beaches to these facilities? Did they move, but then other people take their place?" Ullman said.

Ullman said the numbers from this week's count could change when a final report is issued at the end of September. Ullman said another beach count is planned for January.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.