Honolulu empty homes tax proposal advances
At 3 percent, annual revenue could be about $180 million, according to a recent estimate from Hawaiʻi Appleseed.
Report backs empty-homes tax to address housing crisis on Oʻahu
To address investment-driven purchases and support affordable housing for working families, Appleseed recommended a 3–5 percent tax, which could generate annual revenue ranging from $183 million to $305 million.
Climate disasters are an affordable housing problem
U.S. policymakers need to think about affordable housing as part of their resiliency strategies. The next Lahaina could be a hurricane in the Gulf Coast, a storm in the Northeast or a massive wildfire in California. Having a healthy stock of protected and affordable housing should be part of our cities’ climate emergency plans.
An Oʻahu teacher’s futile apartment hunt shows how bad the rental market is
Housing policy advocates say Helen Lau's story is all too common amid Honolulu's housing crisis.
Lawmakers give final approval to a ‘historic’ income tax cut in long day of voting
The tax bill along with nearly 200 other measures now go to Gov. Josh Green for his consideration.
Proposed short-term rental rules on Big Island met with overwhelming opposition
The county’s first attempt to regulate short-term rentals was in November 2018 with the passage of Bill 108, which included some recommendations from a March 2018 Hawai‘i Appleseed report.
New report on cycle of poverty in Hawaiʻi urges state lawmakers to find solutions
Solutions include substantially increasing public financing of affordable housing, as well as the creation of a state level child tax credit.
Hawaiʻi affordable housing demand is sky high, but not at one tower
Several factors may have made the affordable condos—mostly studios and some one- and two-bedroom units—unattractive to prospective buyers meeting requirements under city rules that include not earning much above the median income on Oʻahu.
Leasehold condo plan could work
The idea, branded as ALOHA Homes (Affordable Locally Owned Homes for All), is to build and sell the leasehold condos at no long-term cost to Hawaiʻi taxpayers.
Hawaiʻi taxpayers are paying a high cost for evictions
Every year there are about 2,500 evictions in the islands. And many fear more people will be out on the streets because of the high cost of housing.
Tax to fund affordable housing advances in state legislature
Senate Bill 362, Draft 2, which raises the conveyance tax on property sales over $2 million, has survived committee (a feat that only one in 10 bills achieve) and is set for a final floor vote in the Senate this week.
Finland delegation brings new homeless housing ideas to Hawaiʻi
Nonprofits who have come to the conference say they've learned a lot. It's public funding that pays for housing the homeless in Finland. Housing is considered a fundamental right there.
Blueprint for Hawaiʻi housing? UH project for students and faculty is going up at relatively little cost
A Hawaiʻi lawmaker says the public private housing partnership could be a model for state-owned affordable rentals.
As housing prices on Oʻahu hit record highs, families grapple with rising rents
“We as a community just need to make a decision that anybody that’s working 40 hours a week needs to be able to afford housing.”
Oʻahu nonprofits to get $4.5M to address housing and financial woes
The 17 organizations will work together to help solve critical problems facing the island’s working families.
Editorial: Hope on horizon for more housing
Might this be the year that Hawaiʻi truly moves forward in providing affordable housing to its residents? With as much as $1 billion in overall funding for housing under discussion as the state legislature reaches its home stretch, it’s possible.
This Maui housing project is hugely popular and sorely needed. Will it finally get built?
It’s been nearly 18 years since the developer began planning Waikapu Country Town. With the final bureaucratic hurdles now cleared, a new deal with the county could spur construction.
Proposal for Hawaiʻi to build and sell leasehold condos judged unfeasible
Analysis concluded that a key element in the plan—selling condos with 99-year land leases—isn’t workable despite some parts of the plan holding promise.
Aloha Friday Conversation: Seizing affordable housing opportunities in Hawaiʻi
This episode of "The Conversation" is packed with discussions about Hawaiʻi's housing and homelessness crisis and policy solutions advocates are working to implement at the state and county level.
Biden’s spending bill could be a ‘game changer’ for housing in Hawaiʻi
The Build Back Better bill that the U.S. Senate is debating has the potential to make a huge dent in Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing needs, according to advocates.