I cringe every time I hear someone refer to the “homeless.” I want to hand them a dictionary on the spot and ask them if “homeless” is an adjective or a noun.

It’s become an awful word in our society today — full of shame, humiliation, hunger, sadness, medical crises, violence, substance abuse, broken families and veterans.

It is not OK to define a human being and their worth based on whether they have a home, or are “homeless.”Take a moment to think about that.

Roberta Huddy, 50, from Kauai has lived in her van in Waikiki with her husband for about a year. They are constantly moving to avoid harassment and citations from the police.

PF Bentley/Civil Beat

Another thought: people who don’t take their medications and wind up in the emergency room, costing communities millions of dollars in health care don’t get penalized or criminalized for being non-compliant.

Yet, a homeless person who is suffering from chronic illness — perhaps, including mental illness — and who is unable to access or afford needed medication to improve their circumstances must carry the indignant judgment of society. They face condemnation and accusations they are lazy, repugnant, undeserving of a hand-up or a new start and, often times, they are criminalized for behavior that is a direct result of not taking medication.

It’s time to get back to the basics as human beings: more compassion, less judgment. By compassion, I don’t mean bills recently enacted and pending before the City and County of Honolulu. By compassion, I mean as individuals we should try not to be afraid to help. We should be brave enough to help. Help is a choice, and it’s up to you to define it, but it should start with a less stigmatizing approach, for all our sakes.

Judgment, as measured by the laws that govern society, belongs in the hands of the court system.

In the context of homelessness, Hawaii should consider a problem-solving court model, particularly in the wake of bills recently signed by Mayor Kirk Caldwell in Honolulu.

Referred to as a Homeless Court Program, and supported by the American Bar Association, this problem-solving court model emphasizes committed collaboration, enhanced communication and information, individualized solutions and accountability.

A Homeless Court Program provides an opportunity to coordinate resources and assist individuals who enter the program in remedying their criminal violation while addressing the underlying cause of their situation. These include substance abuse treatment, workforce training, and shelter services or permanent housing.

Hawaii already has a Drug Court program that provides substance abuse treatment as an alternative to incarceration, which provides lessons learned and experience that could assist in the planning for a Homeless Court Program.

The recent Honolulu signing of bills involving homelessness into law promises an increase of “criminal violations” because the police department will enforce the new laws.

Now is a good time to examine a Homeless Court program that can help address the underlying needs of our families, individuals and veterans experiencing homelessness.

Homeless court programs will decriminalize homelessness by diverting participants from incarceration and utilizing individual service plans that foster healthy behaviors, reintegration, and stable housing in lieu of fines and jail time.

This opinion piece reflects the views of the author, not of the HPCA or IHS.