affordable housing

Hawaii's housing crisis did not go away during the COVID-19 pandemic, in fact in some ways it got worse. In response, the Legislature is considerign dozens of bills on housing.

Remote testimony at the State Legislature; State mismanagement of Native Hawaiian burial grounds; Reality Check: American Samoans can return home after quarantine in Hawaii; Maui County planning 5,000 affordable housing units in five years; The Rent and Relief Housing Assistance Program.
 

Remote testimony at the State Legislature

This week's Homeless Awareness Conference highlighted gains by county governments as well as areas of need across the state. Heads of critical agencies and services, leaders of community organizations, social workers, and others offered recent data and perspectives. Across the board, they are bracing for the future.

Low interest rates, combined with changing social and professional norms, are driving demand for homes, and prices, upward.

Academy for Creative Media; State Film Commissioner; Kawainui Apartments; Honolulu Chamber Music Society; Honolulu Printmakers; Chef Mark Oyama

The absence of tourists in Hawai'i' is affecting Maui's housing market. The tourism  drop and its ripple effects are among the reasons over 900 homeless people were moved into permanent housing on Maui since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Service agencies are working harder now to keep people in the homes they currently have.

Gov. David Ige delivered his sixth State of the State address Tuesday, laying out details about efforts worked out with legislative leaders that aim to address Hawaii's high cost of living in areas that include housing and child care.

Business effects from Honolulu's plastic ban; Addressing air travel impacts on the climate; Update on Samoa measles outbreak; Affordable housing; Comedian Hari Kondabolu

Hawaii has some of the highest construction costs in the country. That makes building new housing an expensive prospect.

Hawaii will need an additional 65,000 housing units statewide by 2025. Getting there will require more public infrastructure, like water, sewage, and electricity.

People living on the sidewalks is hard to get used to, yet Hawai‘i residents on every island see it every day.  Recently back from a statewide homeless tour, Lt. Governor Josh Green says two new initiatives on O‘ahu hold promise for making a difference. H4 services and the Kauhale housing initiative would dovetail with successful programs already underway.

Following a recent trip to Singapore, State Senator Stanley Chang remains committed to adapting the island nation’s public housing model for Hawaii.

  Future of Haiku Stairs; Lawmakers Exploring Housing Solutions in Singapore; Spotlight on Sand Island Treatment Center; Homelessness on the Big Island

A legislative proposal to build affordable apartment housing on state-owned land has come back from the dead. The bill appeared to have failed back in March, but was resurrected in the closing days of the legislative session.

Honolulu is the third most expensive housing market in the country. That is according to a February analysis from the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization. But Hawaii has always been an expensive place to live, according to one of the state's top economists. 

Eighty percent of Singapore’s 5.6 million residents live in public housing. A 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment can be purchased on the resale market for around $250,000 U.S. dollars. The island nation’s success in making housing affordable has caught the attention of lawmakers in Hawaiʻi.

State lawmakers, along with the Governor, are attempting to increase the affordable housing supply for either rent or lease. But, what will work?

Officials with the City and County of Honolulu want to build more affordable rental housing. But rather than directly fund construction, they have prepared a package of incentives to make those type of projects more appealing to developers. 

A homeless community on Oahu’s leeward coast is one step closer to finding homes. The group received a $150,000 donation to help fund a plan to transition the residents of Pu'uhonua o Waianae to permanent housing. The money came from some of the biggest real estate trusts in Hawaii.

Abandoned buildings, urban blight, it’s common knowledge now that undesirable neighborhoods with low rental rates attract artists and creatives.   What tends to follow, are eating places, galleries, bars---and gentrification, which ends up pushing the artists out.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports, an 84 unit, affordable, live/work rental space for artists is coming up in Kaka‘ako.

Affordable housing is one of the biggest issues confronting Hawai’i residents. The state’s high cost of living, relatively low wages, and lack of affordable housing make it hard to become a homeowner. So a new mortgage program that made its debut in Hawai’i late last week is attracting a lot of interest. HPR’s Ku’uwehi Hiraishi reports.

Governor David Ige approved new rules today to guide future development in Kaka’ako.

Last week, a coalition of Maui community groups presented a plan at the Alexander and Baldwin shareholders’ meeting in Honolulu.   The coalition, Hukilike no Maui, is proposing to acquire five thousand acres, or 15% of A&B’s Maui land holdings, for affordable housing, agriculture, and conservation.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa was on Maui with Hukilike members to find out more about this community planning initiative.

House Bill 2748, dubbed the "Bob Nakata Act," recognizes the former state senator and lobbyist for his many years of advocacy for affordable housing. At a news conference yesterday, legislators said they made good on their resolve to do something bold to address the shortage of affordable rental housing. The $200 million agreement aims to jumpstart construction by reducing building costs.