The alleged sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl at the state's homeless shelter in Wai'anae has some on edge, and state officials taking another look at security at the facility and others like it.

But officials and advocates stress that violence at shelters is rare, and say shelters are much safer than the streets — and sometimes the wider community.

"Living under one roof with so many people is not a normal kind of situation by any means," said Connie Mitchell, executive director of the Institute for Human Services, which runs two emergency shelters in urban Honolulu. "We have to make accommodations as best we can and everybody has a role."

Russ Saito, state comptroller and the governor's special adviser on homelessness, said the alleged sex assault at the Pai'olu Kaiaulu shelter in Wai'anae on March 24 has prompted officials to take a look at security at all state shelters.

Already, an undisclosed number of additional security guards were brought into the Wai'anae shelter, and other measures could be taken, he said.

But Saito stressed that security is already tight at all state shelters, with potential residents being screened and given a strict list of rules to abide by regarding violence. Not everyone can be monitored closely all the time, he added, but there is always staff on hand to help assure order.

INVESTIGATION ONGOING

Authorities are still investigating the incident and have not made any arrests.

By yesterday afternoon, police had not released details on the alleged sex assault, beyond that there is an ongoing investigation. It is unclear whether the suspect is a resident of the shelter.

The alleged assault comes as the state is deeply invested in opening and maintaining shelters to deal with a homeless crisis that has ballooned with the rising costs of housing, food and transportation. In the past two years, the state has spent more than $41 million from the general fund, special funds and elsewhere to open shelters to house some 1,500 people at any one time.

Many of the shelters are in Leeward O'ahu.

Darlene Hein, program director for the Care-A-Van program, which gets medical supplies, food and other resources to homeless people islandwide and often has contact with people on the streets and in shelters, said homeless shelters statewide work hard to prevent violence and maintain order and security.

SITES 'WELL-MONITORED'

And she said despite some difficult conditions — sleeping within feet of a stranger, sharing meals, shower facilities and more with dozens and abiding to a host of strict rules — homeless shelters statewide are very safe places.

"They're (shelters) well-monitored. There's a lot of rules and regulations, much more so than if you live in the community," she said. "Safety is something that all of the shelters stress. People are really looked at before they're let in."

Still, Saito said officials are working to make sure incidents like what allegedly happened in Wai'anae are prevented in the future.

"Violence is not tolerated as part of the rules," he said, adding it's too early in the investigation to say how the situation will be dealt with. Saito could not immediately provide numbers on how many incidents were reported at state shelters statewide.

But there are believed to be no more than a handful of serious incidents.

FEW INCIDENTS

Doran Porter, executive director of Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance, which operates the state's Next Step shelter, said he knows of only one instance in which a person was evicted from the Kaka'ako facility.

The IHS shelters, which are privately financed and operated, also reported few significant incidents.

Last year, there were 77 "assaultive behavior incidents" — ranging from a punch to threatening language — at the two IHS shelters in Kalihi, which house single men separately from women and families. In 2006, there were 62.

Kate Bepko, IHS spokeswoman, said less than five of all those incidents required the help of police. And, she said, none of them were serious assaults.

The IHS men's shelter holds 240 people, but is now housing about 155.

Men sleep on the floor or on cots and at least one person monitors them overnight.

At the shelter for women and families, there is also at least one "rover" who walks the grounds at night for security. The family shelter is one big room, and there are about 25 families at the facility now. Families sleep in beds, and have some privacy behind large wardrobes.

The women's shelter houses about 100 in bunk beds.

Ruth Weerapan, IHS human resources director, said one of the ways the nonprofit ensures violent confrontations are kept to a minimum is by training all staff who work with IHS clients on conflict prevention. "They're trained to identify those types of conflict and what to do," Weerapan said.

Unlike the IHS shelter, the Pai'olu shelter in Wai'anae where the incident occurred has rooms for families or singles with lockable doors. That means it can be a little harder to monitor everyone. But it also reduces the risk of confrontations, violence and theft, residents of the shelter say.

The Wai'anae shelter also has only one main entrance, which is guarded 24 hours a day. There are staff members and hired private security personnel who walk around the facility during the day and night, and residents and staff must show identification to come in.

The shelter houses about 290 people.

RESIDENTS 'NOT SCARED'

Though the alleged sex assault at the shelter has raised concerns about security, several of those who live there say they're not worried about the safety of their children. "I feel safe here," said Naomi McDaniel, who lives at the shelter on Farrington Highway with a 3-year-old and 1-year-old. "I'm not scared."

She added, "We're blessed to be here."

Her friend, Karmelita Melton, agreed. "I do feel blessed," she said.

But Alice Greenwood, another shelter resident, said she is concerned that children and parents at the facility aren't getting enough counseling in the wake of the incident. She said most people aren't concerned for their safety, but need to be reassured. "There's no counseling for our children and ourselves," she said.

Greenwood added that more crisis counseling could have prevented an angry confrontation at the shelter the day after the alleged assault among about a half-dozen people arguing about the incident. Police responded to the confrontation, but made no arrests.

Saito said counseling was offered to people at the shelter, and continues to be made available, however.

He also said all those who stay at state shelters are screened thoroughly.

Sex offenders and others with violent criminal backgrounds are not admitted.

And Saito added that though people have private rooms at the Wai'anae shelter, they are encouraged to interact with other guests in common areas. It is not clear whether the alleged sex assault happened in a private room or in another area.

Those who stay at the Next Step shelter in Kaka'ako don't have rooms, but cubicles. A little more than 200 people sleep in the big warehouse, but families, single men, single women and couples are kept separate. People use cardboard cubicles for privacy, filling them with household items such as beds, furniture and even TVs.

Porter, whose nonprofit oversees operations at the shelter, said there are always people monitoring residents at the shelter. Four people are on the floor at night, he said, and about 13 people work the night shift at the shelter. Also, at least one deputy state sheriff stands at the entrance gate to the shelter to make sure no one goes onto the property if they're not allowed.

The shelter is closed during the day, and opens at 5 p.m. each night.

People have to leave by 8:30 a.m.

The Wai'anae shelter, meanwhile, is a 24-hour shelter, which means those who don't work can go to classes or other programs at the facility in the day. The alleged sex assault, officials have reported, occurred at midday.