HONOLULU -- First, the city moved the homeless out of Ala Moana Beach Park. Then, homeless were urged off Maili Beach.

Now, the North Shore homeless are the next in line to be asked to move on, but not just yet.

On Saturday, the city began the first step with a massive clean up of North Shore beach parks.

About 200 city employees and community volunteers cleaned up Haleiwa Alii and Kaiaka Beach Parks. Workers did everything from painting curbs, to sprucing up the lawns and freshening paint on park buildings.

Haleiwa resident Poi Smith and his family pitched in by picking up cigarette butts and bottle caps.

Smith's family usually comes to the park five days a week.

"This is like home to us. This is our backyard," Smith said. "And we love to see our community enjoying the beach park, and we want to make sure it stays clean."

Lester Chang, the city parks director, called the volunteer work priceless.

"We can do things that we are not normally able to do," Chang said.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann also got involved by painting curbs.

Hannemann said the city would not force the North Shore homeless out of the parks until there is a place for them to go.

"For us to do a very good job on this side of the island, we are going to need the state to build some homeless shelters here so that the homeless that are living in the parks here can move on," Hannemann said.

Homeless resident Sheryl Bieler is a regular at the beach, sleeping in her sport utility vehicle in the parking lot.

"You don't see any homeless here today, during the massive cleanup, but this is where they usually park -- on the Haleiwa side of the park," Bieler said. "It doesn't matter how we got here. The fact of the matter is we are here and something needs to be done, and our numbers are huge."

Bieler estimated there are 800 North Shore homeless -- many, like her, are unable to pay expensive rent payments.