Affordable housing—Hawaiʻi’s biggest challenge—requires comprehensive solutions
A new housing coalition is working to shape the start of a comprehensive and inclusive housing policy plan to finally address Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing crisis.
Hawaiʻi’s housing market is a nightmare for working families; it doesn’t have to be
For a majority of Hawaiʻi residents, the prospect of owning a home—or even finding an affordable place to rent—is increasingly out of reach.
Unsheltered can mean costly health problems; Hawaiʻi should invest in supportive housing
It may seem obvious, but getting people back into housing is essential to properly addressing their health needs.
Put more money in working people’s pockets and reduce housing costs
This legislative session, Hawaiʻi Appleseed is pushing hard to implement a significant minimum wage increase, expand successful tax credits for low-income families, and lay the groundwork for housing policy that will mean no one in Hawaiʻi is left unsheltered because of poverty.
Our lack of decent, affordable housing costs us big time on healthcare
While the burden of poor health is surely felt most by the people who experience it, the whole community is affected.
Solving Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis means building smart, not just more
An analysis of Maui’s housing stock demonstrates that, although Hawaiʻi is building more housing, we’re not building it at the prices that meet demand from local residents.
Fix the conveyance tax reform bill; don’t veto it
Increased economic activity and federal relief funds will only go so far; policymakers need to think about longterm needs for our communities and how we’ll get the resources to pay for them.
Making Hawaiʻi's housing market work for local residents
Investors are buying up more of Hawaiʻi’s homes than ever before because our current system encourages them to do so—that’s bad for our economy in the long run.
How to make housing affordable to local buyers: Lessons from ALOHA Homes
Highlights from the interim ALOHA Homes study, commissioned by the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC).
Appleseed agenda 2021: stop cuts, boost working families and the economy
Hawaiʻi Appleseed’s work during the 2021 legislative session focuses on the areas most critical to preserving the strength and stability of Hawaiʻi people, families and communities.
How COVID-19 shaped Appleseed’s work in 2020
The year 2020 was a turbulent one, but it proved the power of Hawaiʻi’s greatest strength—its people.
The cost of housing, Hawaiʻi’s top expense, has skyrocketed since 1980
Housing costs in Hawaiʻi have grown by far more than any other household cost—an extraordinary 79 percent increase between 1980 and 2018.
Keeping Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing units affordable
Not only are we not building enough affordable homes to begin with, but we are also failing to maintain the affordability of many of the for-sale homes which were created.
What the Kawainui project tells us about Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing problems
Affordable housing needs to be integrated with market-priced housing, and we must maintain the supply of affordable housing even in owner-occupied units.
Hawaiʻi’s crowded households could make safely reopening schools harder
The decision to reopen public schools must take into consideration that Hawaiʻi students go home to households that are more than twice as likely to be multigenerational and crowded than the national average.
Allocating $100 million in CARES Act relief to housing support is good state policy
To help more than 100,000 Hawaiʻi residents stay in their homes, $100 million in CARES Act housing support is money well spent.
Housing, our best capital investment, is only 4 percent of state’s spending plan
Let’s invest wisely in Hawaiʻi’s capital needs. Housing is one of the best investments we can make, and every family deserves to have a home they can afford.
Hawaiʻi workers need four more work weeks a year to cover rent since 1985
Many of the cities with the highest rents also pay the highest average salaries, but Honolulu is not among them.
Despite rising incomes, housing is still out of reach for many in Hawaiʻi
Even for those who have lived here their entire lives—whose community ties go back generations—Hawaiʻi offers no easy path to affordable home ownership.
A tax on vacant units could provide housing crisis relief, if done right
Besides funding sources, taxes can be an excellent way of shifting behaviors; but getting rates and exemptions right is key to success.