Dozens will set out on a 10-day, 150-mile walk around O'ahu this morning to bring attention to the state's homeless crisis.

The second annual Walk the Talk, Shelter the People begins in front of Our Lady of Peace Cathedral on Bishop Street at 8 a.m. The event will wrap up 4:30 p.m. Nov. 17 in the state Capitol courtyard with a candlelight vigil.

"Even if you are going to take a step or a mile, that's good enough," said Utu Langi, who founded the walk.

Langi, president of the H-5 Project that distributes 1,000 meals to homeless people weekly, said he is more positive going into the walk this year given the amount of time and money spent on homeless programs in recent months.

"I'm walking with a little more joy," he said, adding there is still much more to be done.

The walk coincides with Homeless Awareness Week, scheduled for Nov. 12 to 18. At the end of each day, walk participants and members of the public are invited to "talk story" sessions to discuss community-specific homeless issues.

Donations to walking participants will go toward refurbishing five tour buses, which Langi plans to convert into emergency housing for homeless people. One bus is already finished.

Other events planned for Homeless Awareness Week, which is a national campaign, include a conference in Waikiki and a workshop to discuss "bridges out of poverty."

The conference, called "Unlocking the Door: The Key to Ending Homelessness," is set for Nov. 15 at the Waikiki Beach Marriott. For more information on the events, call 497-4175.

Meanwhile, social service providers, planners and concerned citizens will gather today at the University of Hawai'i- Manoa to discuss possible solutions to homelessness.

A group of graduate students will also unveil a census of homeless people in Waikiki, which was conducted with the help of police officers. In addition to counting the homeless, the students interviewed 90 homeless people, and looked at how cities elsewhere tackle homelessness.

The free event will be held at the School of Architecture auditorium and celebrates World Town Planning Day, which promotes livable communities and is observed in 30 countries around the world. It starts at 4 p.m.

Karl Kim, chairman of the UH Department of Urban and Regional Planning, said his students hope to identify good policies. The solutions found in other states will be discussed by two panels, one comprising professors, the other made up of social service providers and leaders.

"We're trying to create a deliberative dialogue," Kim said. "The first panel we'll have is academic, they'll be just reacting to the data. The second panel will be reacting to the policy."

Dolores Foley, also an urban planning professor, said students got an experience they'll take away with them. "It's really putting a face to an issue," Foley said.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.