More than 150 people gathered at the state Capitol yesterday to celebrate the conclusion of a 10-day charity walk to raise awareness about homelessness and to remind residents — by waving signs along Beretania Street — that the state's homeless crisis is far from over.

"We can't just put the homeless in the corner," said Laura Pitolo, Wai'anae Community Outreach program director. "We do have families out there who are homeless. We do have children."

"Walk the Talk — Shelter the People," a trek around the island, kicked off Nov. 7 at the state Capitol. Walkers included homeless people, other residents and advocates.

The third annual walk raised about $7,000 this year — far short of the $100,000 organizers hoped to garner, but more than the two past years.

An additional $7,000 has been pledged, and all the funds will go to homeless programs, including one that converts tour buses into homeless shelters.

Utu Langi, who founded the charity walk, sat near the steps of the state Capitol yesterday afternoon after finishing the last leg of the event from Waipahu to Honolulu, a 13-mile walk that began at 8 a.m.

A friend was massaging cramps out of his legs.

He said he will keep walking every year as long as there are still homeless people in the Islands.

"There are still a lot more people out there who have no place to go," said Langi, who also manages day-to-day operations at the Next Step Shelter in Kaka'ako and is the director of H-5, or Hawai'i Helping the Hungry Have Hope.

Participants in the walk got to the state Capitol about 4:30 p.m. yesterday, and were greeted with applause and hoots by a crowd of people holding signs along Beretania Street to raise awareness about homelessness.

The walkers soon joined the sign-holders, and before long Beretania Street was filled with the sounds of car horns from drivers expressing their support. Four-year-old Timothy Hernandez beamed at the honking.

His sign read, "Honk for end homelessness."

Hernandez and his family live at the state's Onelau'ena shelter in Kalaeloa. They have been there for about two months, said Hernandez's mom, Christine. "There's not a lot of help for us," she said.

Kawika Karacius, 36, was sporting a mild sunburn and two walking sticks yesterday as he mingled through the crowd at the rally. Karacius is a resident at the Next Step shelter, and walked five legs of the walk. He said he got involved in hopes of helping others.

"This walk was worthwhile," he said, beaming. "I'd do it again."

Belinda Quach, a social work student at the University of Hawai'i, volunteers at the Next Step shelter and took a day off school yesterday to participate in the last leg of the charity walk. "It means something when you take time out of your schedule to help," the 21-year-old said.

The walk coincides with Homeless Awareness Week.

Doran Porter, executive director of the Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance, said the state still has a long way to go before the problem of homelessness solved.

Just this week, he said, he has gotten a slew of calls from families who need shelter, from those who have been evicted to those who have been on the streets for a while and are seeking help.

Porter said the message of the rally and walk this year is not that homelessness is a problem, but that it's a persistent problem that will take everyone's help to resolve. "We all have to work on it," he said.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.