As said previously, the "homeless problem" is not new.  Your article states that "Some of them have been there for more than 20 years."
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Eccentrics with a preference for sleeping rough have abided in Hawaii for centuries.  One of the earliest "public laws" proclaimed by Kamehameha I in the early part of the 19th century was his "Law of the Splintered Paddle" which stated in part:
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"Let the woman and the child, the aged and the infirm walk freely along the byways and lie down peacefully at the side of the road.  No one shall molest them." 
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Hawaii state and municipal governments make much of their ceaseless efforts to respect native traditions.  They should therefore cease useless efforts to modify lifestyles and focus instead on code enforcement, sanitation and when necessary the efficient and economical disposal of the remains of those who have shuffled off this mortal coil.