Why housing affordability progress stalls out in Hawaiʻi
What is missing is not knowledge, evidence, or available policy options. What is missing is honesty about whom these reforms actually threaten and why bills with broad public support keep dying for reasons that rarely get named.
Luxury home tax pitch to fund Hawaiian Homes flopped. Now what?
The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands came away with some funds but will need to look for other revenue sources.
With new federal cuts looming, legislature must fulfill 100-year promise to Hawaiians
Senate Bill 3028 would give DHHL a permanent, dedicated revenue stream funded by restructuring the state’s conveyance tax.
Escalating climate disasters could make homes uninsurable, new report warns
Hawaiʻi is facing a rapidly escalating insurance crisis driven by climate change, aging housing, and a sharp retreat by private insurers, according to a new report released by the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice.
How parking spot mandates affect affordable housing in Honolulu
Parking mandates can have a large impact on affordable housing projects, according to a report by the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice.
Bill 53 would increase Oʻahu housing costs
Reinstating parking mandates for developers in Honolulu means choosing cars over people and asphalt over affordability.
Why this Honolulu housing strategy is not a ‘super successful’ program
A new state law requires counties to let homeowners build two additional housing units on eligible properties. Honolulu is struggling to persuade people to build just one.
OHA seeks housing strategy consultant to advance Mana i Mauli Ola goals
These efforts come at a time when small policy wins at the state level are offering renewed hope but require coordinated implementation to benefit Native Hawaiian communities equitably.
Economic prosperity rises from the bottom up
The Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice looks at the recent legislative session's hits and misses in this Community Voice column for Aloha State Daily.
Honolulu can fine Airbnb, Vrbo for illegal vacation rentals. It never has
Like other tourist destinations, Honolulu passed a law to hold booking platforms accountable for illegal listings. But the city hasn’t cited any company, even as illegal rentals flourish.
Judge decides Front Street housing must stay affordable
Suit challenged developer’s attempt to increase rents to market rate, sell property without restrictions.
The Conversation: Lahaina Affordable Housing
A lawsuit filed by tenants of a Lahaina affordable housing project has become a bellwether case for the future of affordable housing in Hawaiʻi.
State must live up to public housing safety goals
Among the responsibilities of state government is to help provide basic needs for citizens’ whose own means fall short. Where shelter is concerned, the state acknowledges this through its public housing projects.
It’s time to step it up on public housing
Last week, tenants filed class-action lawsuits against the Hawaiʻi Public Housing Authority for its continuous failure to comply with federal laws mandating fair treatment for disabled residents and to remedy the substandard living conditions they are forced to endure every day.
Public housing neglect threatens tenant safety
The problems at two state projects aren't cosmetic—they are real threats to tenants’ health and safety and should not be disregarded.
Kuhio housing residents sue
The federal case alleges that the public housing project violates the American with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the Fair Housing Act. The state case alleges a breach of obligation by the state under its warranty of habitability.
Suit filed against Hawaiʻi Public Housing Authority
The suit makes claims of hazardous conditions and discriminatory obstacles at Kuhio Park Terrace and Kuhio Homes.
State’s a slumlord, suit says
The suit alleges tenants are living in squalid, unsanitary conditions, with elevators that don’t work, apartments infested by roaches and rats and faulty sewage lines that cause brown wastewater to fill housing units.