Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 10, 1 October 1990 — Affordable housing, a basic need and priority [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Affordable housing, a basic need and priority

Affordable housing is one of the biggest concerns in these islands today. Understandably so. lt costs mueh to live here. And shelter, a roof overhead for self and 'ohana, is the basic need.

Recent po!ls in The Honolulu Aduertiser show that 84 percent of surveyed homeowners and renters (across all ethnic and ineome groups) say the housing situation has worsened in the past four years for loeal families. This, mind you, in spite of county and state saying they offer affordable housing whieh unfortunately really isn't affordable to most of us living here. Since the beginning of the Reagan and Bush administrations, less federal help has been available for housing. This shortage of funds has been compounded by the Housing and Urban Development scandal where billions of dollars that were set aside for low ineome housing ended up in the pockets of the neh who were cronies of the head of HUD. These unconscionable thefts of dollars that were supposed to go for low-ineome housing have greatly increased the numbers of homeless in America. Here at home there are many Hawaiians homeless in their homeland. It was shocking to read recently on the front page of our daily news that the sale price of an average single family home on O'ahu is $472,000. A survey OHA did in the mid-80s verifies affordable housing as a major issue. We at OHA hope to help ease some of the housing pressure for our constituents with the beginning of the settlement of the long-awaited ceded land retroactive paekage that was just passed by the legislature for those with 50 percent and more Hawaiian blood. With the help of staff, Hawaiian service organizations, and input from you, our constituents given at community planning meetings held statewide in July, we trustees are now in the processof planning programs for these entitlements revenues. Housing was the primary eoneem stemming from these community planning sessions. Other priority area recommendations desired by our community are programs in health, education including scholarships, land, and a settlement of ceded land issues. (We are now negotiating a pro-

spective package for all Hawaiians whieh must include 'aina.) There are concerns about land-use practices and management (Aloha 'Aina) and lo'i for taro production. Culture and eeonomie development as well as legal services were also pointed out as areas needing attention for the native Hawaiian community. I am pleased with this turn of events because I have long advocated most of these priorities for Hawaiians since elected to office. While these eonhnue to remain top problems, OHA ean now address them. Now, as we begin to get our entitlements, some of these funds will be expended for housing. We will also be working with and helping the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. OHA has already been involved in self-help housing. Several years ago we at OHA helped fund a self-help housing project along the Wai'anae Coastline on DHHL land. Qualifying families who pledged to labor 32 man-hours a week worked along with a skilled carpenter and with other families, helping build eaeh others homes. The pride gained, the feeling of aecomplishment, the skills acquired, and for some a livelihood learned, cannot be measured in dollars and cents. This small pilot program was federally funded. It was just the beginning. OHA is now jointly working with DHHL on a 22 unit self-help housing project in KeaukahaPanaewa. Ground breaking will begin this fall on these three bedroom one bath homes. The legislature has funded $750,000 and OHA is paying $63,000 for additional costs. These homes will end up costing eaeh family $35,000. In peaceful Milolii, one of the last Hawaiian fishing villages in these islands, 22 self-help homes are just being completed by victims and descendants of victims of the 1926 Ho'opuloa lava flow. Another 22 homes will begin this fall. The Milolii people have been doing a beautiful job on their homes with many of the 'ohana and neighbors working together, some even flying in from O'ahu to help with the finishing and painting. The women are energetically getting involved and some of the houses are built mostly by women. The houses were financed by a loan-fund through legislative appropriation. The two-bedroom, onebath homes are financed on a 40 year payback loan at 3 percent interest. The payments for eaeh family are $160 a month. The Hawai'i County Eeonomie Council (HCEOC) administers the

Keaukaha-Panaewa projects. They, at this time, have filed a federal applieahon to set up a non-pro-fit construction company to build housing for natives. The Milolii project is considered to be a prototype of low cost, low-infrastructure housing, according to Joe Clarkson, project director. These homes will also have solar power; an excellent example of 'ohana working together with appropriate technology. So, in spite of the dismal housing situation, these are some of the ways that we have been involved in helping to alleviate the problem. Now that we begin to receive our retroactive package we should be able to have more projects as described island-wide and also other kinds of kokua relating to the different housing needs of our Hawaiian populahon. There is room for optimism. * ★ * In closing, I'd like to mention the loss of Dexter Cate, a Hawaiian-at-heart, who lived his life in the spirit of Aloha 'Aina. Mild-mannered Dexter, a marine biology teacher at Hilo High School was well respected by all and an inspiration to his students. He started a group called "Save the Whales" in the 70s and was a founder of Greenpeaee International. In 1980 Dexter freed over 350 dolphins and whales trapped in fishing nets at Iki Island, Japan. The dolphins were to have been s!aughtered and ground up for fertilizer. For his efforts he was jailed for 80 days until he was deported back to Hawai'i. For years he worked tirelessly internationally to protect and prove the higher intelligence of the dolphins and to make the world understand these creatures were the "people of the sea." It was his wish that dolphins and humans could live together in peaee. Dexter, and Denver Lehman the present head of Greenpeace Hawai'i Island, kayaked and oeeupied our sacred island of Kaho'olawe in the early 80s in the middle of the RimPac maneuvers in support of us Hawaiians to protest the bombing of our 'aina. They had followed kupuna Harry Mitchell's courageous example. Dexter, a true brother, will be missed by all whose lives he touched and future generations ean look back and say "here was one who cared." Ua mau ke ea o ka 'aina i ka pono. Malama pono.