Many retired Navy ships have been turned into museums, but community groups here are hoping for what military officials say is a first: turning a decommissioned vessel into a floating homeless shelter.
The 195m destroyer tender Acadia was built in 1981 and sailed around the world several times with a crew of 1,500 before it was decommissioned in 1994. In January, Navy officials decided to dispose of, sell off or give away the vessel, which is docked at Pearl Harbor. Most ships are used for scrap or training after they are retired.
"Land is a high commodity. We live on a rock," the Rev. Gary Shields, director of the Victory Ohana Prison Fellowship, told The Honolulu Advertiser. "Hawaii has to do something different and out of the box. And this is out of the box."
A coalition called the Acadia Acquisition Committee is negotiating with the state for a place to put the ship. Its proposal calls for Acadia to start housing people as early as May 2009.
Organizers are trying to determine how much the program would cost but are expecting to spend US$2 million (NT$66.3 million) just to get the ship ready for basic accommodations such as air conditioning, revamped bunks and bedrooms.
Homelessness is a growing problem in Hawaii, as low-income families face some of the highest living costs in the nation. The number of unsheltered homeless counted at seven areas on Oahu in January was 3,750, up 28 percent from a year ago. (AP)
許多除役的海軍船艦常被改裝成博物館，但這個地方的社區團體希望創下如軍方所說的創舉︰將一艘退役船艦改裝成海上遊民收容所。
長一百九十五公尺的驅逐艦「阿卡迪亞號」建造於一九八一年，它曾載著一千五百名船員環遊世界數周，最後於一九九四年退役。海軍官員在一月份決定將停在珍珠港的這艘船棄置、出售或送出。大部分的退役船艦都會被當成廢料，或用於訓練工作。
「這裡土地很珍貴，因為我們住在一塊大礁石上，」Victory Ohana監獄更生團契的領導人蓋瑞:孝茲牧師對《檀香山廣告商報》說。「夏威夷得做點與眾不同的事，跳脫既有的框架。而這就是打破傳統的計畫。」
一個叫「阿卡迪亞號取得委員會」的聯盟正在和該州協商泊船的地方。它提出的計劃書希望該船最快從後年五月開始收容民眾。
規劃者正在評估該計劃要花多少錢，但預計光是基本的住宿設施，例如冷氣、翻新多層床舖、臥室等就要兩百萬美元（約新台幣六千六百三十萬元。）
無家可歸的情形在夏威夷越來越嚴重，因為當地低收入戶面臨全國最高的生活消費。歐胡島上的七個區域，一月份的遊民人數達三千七百五十人，比前一年高了28%。
（美聯社／翻譯：張愛弟）
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