From church groups to social service organizations, plenty of people are pitching in to help the Wai'anae Coast homeless.

They're providing food, counseling, training, shelter.

It's just not enough.

The demand for services is so great that the groups have trouble keeping pace, especially as the ranks of the homeless have surged the past year, according to those involved in the efforts.

But that isn't stopping a variety of organizations from trying to make a difference.

One of the main groups, Wai'anae Community Outreach, has been helping the coast's homeless since the late 1980s. Its outreach program assesses the needs of the homeless and links them with appropriate service agencies. The organization also holds classes and provides food, hygiene products, bus passes and other essentials to beach dwellers and others.

Kanani Kaaiawahia Bulawan, Wai'anae Community's executive director, said the homeless must earn the goods by taking drug treatment classes or engaging in other activities that will help them better their lives. "We do not give handouts," Bulawan said. "Nothing is for free."

Counting the so-called hidden homeless — people doubling and tripling up in other people's homes because they can't afford their own — Bulawan's group assists easily more than 2,000 each month, she said.

Another group actively involved in helping is Honolulu Community Action Program, a provider of services, including the Head Start pre-school program, for low-income residents.

HCAP's most popular service in Wai'anae is a food distribution each Tuesday, according to Jose Villa, deputy director for the group. It is conducted in conjunction with the Hawaii Foodbank, and between 300 and 400 families typically are fed each Tuesday.

The demand for services has grown so much that HCAP is recruiting for a newly created position of homeless services coordinator, Villa said.

Because of the overwhelming need, religious organizations increasingly are getting involved as well.

The Hawai'i Coalition of Christian Churches, for instance, is planning a 72-unit affordable rental project and 40 dormitory spaces for the homeless in Wai'anae — on the same site where a state-run housing project was demolished last year. The coalition is getting assistance from the state and city.

Church groups also are involved in food distributions and provide other services to the homeless.

In the nonprofit world, "the faith-based groups have the resources more than any other entities," Bulawan said.