The empty homes tax: A promising step on affordable housing—if we get it right
The Honolulu City Council is considering legislation with the potential to bring much-needed assistance to a market out of reach for many.
State Budget 101: New handbook simplifies process for curious citizens
State Rep. Della Au Belatti and Hawaiʻi Appleseed Deputy Director Will White stop by HPR to invite people curious about the budget to get in on the shortcut to understanding.
A Hawaiʻi state budget for dummies
In case you haven’t noticed, Hawaiʻi’s state budget is a very difficult thing to make sense of unless you’re trained as a forensic accountant. Thankfully, the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center has released a Budget Primer to make things simpler.
Caring for the community
Kaiser Permanente has a hand in helping Hawaiʻi in many different ways, from responding to the needs of Maui residents to helping nonprofits care for the land.
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.
The gap between median home prices and household income in Hawaiʻi? It’s ‘scary’
Based on Honolulu’s median home price of $1,085,800 and median family income of $120,100, the index said a mortgage requires 73 percent of the median paycheck.
Concerns rise for low-income families over legislature's recent tax cut measure
The cost of the tax cuts concerns some advocates. An analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated an initial annual revenue loss of $656 million, that balloons to close to $1.5 billion by 2030. That's about 10 percent of the state's total budget.
The last major tax bills still alive this session would cut income and estate taxes
It's a tight budget year and lawmakers are being criticized for advancing a major reduction in the state inheritance tax that would only benefit Hawaiʻi's wealthiest families.
Housing bill not fully developed
For the sake of community buy-in, and because this will impose changes statewide, it’s best to table the bill until counties have more opportunity to consider its value and collaborate with the state on shaping its requirements, argues the Star-Advertiser.
More housing in less space: Bill moving through legislature aims to increase densities in urban areas
The bill has garnered support from a diverse group: all four county planning directors, the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii and AARP of Hawaiʻi.
Rethinking Hawaiʻi’s conveyance tax
Hawaiʻi stands at the critical decision point in investing in our housing needs: The enactment of HB2364 holds the promise of a brighter, more inclusive future for all residents.
Advocates push to get a child tax credit through the Legislature this session
Family advocates, parents and a number of lawmakers say it’s time for a child tax credit in Hawaiʻi. Many of them gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday.
As Filipinos grapple with high rent, what is the state planning this legislative session?
Locals and new locals coming together in a limited space have produced the perfect storm for a rental crunch where low supply is lopsided by high demand, and the result is a hefty rental tag.
County Council forwards proposed changes to short-term rental regulations to planning commissions, director
The county’s first attempt to regulate these short-term rentals included recommendations from a 2018 Hawai‘i Appleseed report that provided an overview of impacts from the rentals on the state’s housing market.
Rebalance Hawaiʻi’s upside-down tax code to achieve prosperity for all
We are the third-worst state when it comes to taxing struggling working families.
Big Island lawmakers attempt to rein in short-term vacation rentals
Supporters say new limits are needed to increase the island's affordable housing stock, while opponents fear negative economic consequences.
Tenants facing eviction hope state will convert Kauaʻi’s Waipouli apartments to affordable housing
Affordable housing advocates are pressuring the State of Hawai‘i to purchase the apartment building and transform all 82 units into affordable housing.
In Hawaiʻi’s housing crunch, tenants are vulnerable to rent hikes and evictions
Advocates say the code lacks key policies needed in Hawaiʻi’s tight housing market, such as longer notice periods before someone can be evicted, caps on yearly rent increases and limits on the reasons landlords can evict tenants.
State funds for late rent, mediation to be revisited
Key state lawmakers are vowing to revisit a bill that died in the final days of the legislative session that would have required mediation between landlords and tenants before filing for eviction, while providing landlords millions in emergency rent relief.
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.