State management of public housing projects may end

The Honolulu Advertiser reported on Nov. 11 that the Hawaii Public Housing Authority is considering selling properties or units and ending state oversight of public housing, which would be a radical solution to decades of backlogged repairs, aging projects and limited resources: .

Officials said the preliminary proposal is part of a draft "vision" under study by the housing authority board. The proposal includes "self-sufficient families living in units that they own that were previously public housing" and shutting down the authority, which is the largest affordable-housing landlord in the Islands.

The "public housing shelter model has been broken for 40 years" and "having an ownership stake in their housing encourages people to take pride in their physical surroundings and become responsible for their future," the draft says. The agency would sell some units to tenants and redevelop some of its rental projects under a mixed-income model aimed at deconcentrating poverty while preserving affordability.

Jun Yang, an advocate for Faith Action for Community Equity, a nonprofit that has been working with residents at Kuhio Park Terrace -- a project selected for a pilot redevelopment project -- said he is worried about the direction in which the agency board is moving and wonders how people on the waiting list will be served if units are sold to tenants.

"We're in a huge housing shortage," he told the newspaper. "If HPHA were to leave the housing business, there's no one to pick up the slack. There's no one to make sure that affordable housing stays affordable."

The authority has an obligation to make sure public housing is well maintained and managed so people who are eligible have a shot at getting in, said affordable housing advocate, the Rev. Bob Nakata. Even if a private entity oversees day-to-day operations, the state needs to remain involved, he said. "The government cannot abdicate its responsibility."

The proposal comes at the same time that the housing authority prepares launch a $316 million redevelopment of Kuhio Park Terrace and Kuhio Homes modeled on successful projects in other states that added near-market- or market-priced units to bring in more money for maintenance and to deconcentrate poverty, while ensuring a one-for-one replacement of affordable units.