From encampments, storefronts to tourist hotspots, the homeless crisis is visible throughout the island’s capitol and it’s impacting local businesses. Community members are speaking out on the issue, hoping to shed light and bring awareness especially during the holidays.

In the heart of Hagatna, a handful of people experiencing homelessness can be seen taking refuge near the steps of the cathedral. Behind the church, a separate group is camped out under a tree. And just a few feet away, tourists are seen taking photos at the “I Love Guam" sign.

these images underscore the growing homeless crisis that residents have seen slowly building in the island’s capital. Deanna Gumataotao said, "We can just drive by and see it. You see people sitting on steps, some people starting to gather all their belongings in different places. It’s something that you can’t not see."

Gumataotao is an administrative assistant at the Hagatna Mayor’s Office who grew up in the central village. "I remember growing up, there was always homeless individuals or people experiencing homelessness. To my memory in those times, I never recall seeing them doing anything disruptive," she said.

She says they’ve long been part of the community, helping to clean up trash and keep an eye out for their neighbors. It’s only recently that she’s been hearing of incidents like theft and obstruction of businesses in the area.

"What we’re starting to notice, at least from my opinion, all the disruptiveness is coming from people that aren’t originally from here. So maybe they’re coming in from other places or maybe they’re just passing through," she added. "That’s something that’s causing an issue."

Across from Adelup, there’s a homeless encampment that’s been impacting local business Carabao Brewing, according to owner Ben Johnson, who noted, "Right next to the river, there’s starting to get a pretty big homeless encampment. It started with one guy and now I think there’s three or four guys living down there. They’ve mostly been harmless but we’re trying to create a retail space, a comfortable space for people to come with their families."

he says the encampment makes customers “nervous.” There was even an incident last week with one of their female employees.

"A gentleman wandered in and he was kind of staring and I don’t know if he was casing the joint or what he was really looking at, but it was finally someone who was outside and brought it to attention," Johnson said. "She approached him and he started grabbing things off of the shelves and asking her questions. Then as we were trying to get him to go back outside, he ended trying to grab her. So she was very scared."

On top of the safety concerns on both sides, Johnson is worried of the impacts it could have on the recovering tourism industry. "As tourism kind of increases down here, now we’ve got coffee shops and we have Slowalk, we’re starting to see more foot traffic down here. I feel like there’s going to be some harmful interactions at some point," he said. "We haven’t seen any in front of our place, other that wild behavior. We had someone try to ride a carabao one day after staring in the window and people were sitting at the table. So just kind of uncomfortable situations I think, especially if you’re a visitor to the island."

In the meantime, shelters on Guam are strained. Catholic Social Service’s Guma San Jose in Dededo says they have a wait list that’s long year round. As of December, there are 15 families with children, 2 men and 10 women waiting to get in. Liheng Sinafo, the larger Tamuning emergency shelter, closed operations last year.

Officials have said the Anigua shelter for women and children has been nearing completion the past year, but no word yet on when it will open. Gumataotao said, "I don’t know where else they’d go. I don’t know of any place for them specifically to go. I mean I know there’s places that will help feed them, get clothing and basic hygiene items, but I don’t know where else they would go."

Johnson added, "I’ve been down on my luck too. I understand that people need a place to stay and a safe place to stay. I don’t know how as a community we figure out how to do it, but it’s definitely something that we should bring more light to, especially around the holiday season."