Hundreds of low-income Maui residents may face eviction

Half of the units in the complex are rented to people making 50 percent or less of area median income. That’s $30,150 per year for an individual and $43,050 for a family of four in Maui County, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The rest of the units are reserved for individuals making 60 percent or less of area median income.

Anna Barbeau said her neighbors in the apartments work as maids, cooks and waitresses. Tenant Ratna Heilscher, her husband Roy and their son Edwin have lived in the affordable housing complex for almost 15 years.

“We’re the backbone of the economy,” she said. “The vast majority are working families with kids in schools.”

Residents include single mothers, people with disabilities and veterans, she said.

“These guys are barely surviving as it is,” said Victor Geminiani, a lawyer representing the tenants. He is co-director of the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice.

Geminiani, the tenants’ attorney, has grown uneasy about Maui County’s commitment to finding a solution.

“The mayor has indicated no clear path forward,” Geminiani said.