Affordable Housing and Public Housing – Hawaii

State considers getting out of handling Hawaii public housing, By Mary Vorsino, November 11, 2009, Honolulu Advertiser: “The Hawaii Public Housing Authority is considering a radical solution to decades of backlogged repairs, aging projects and limited resources: selling properties or units and ending state oversight of public housing. The proposal, which officials stressed is still very preliminary, is part of a draft ‘vision’ before the housing authority board that includes ‘self-sufficient families living in units that they own that were previously public housing’ and the authority – the largest affordable-housing landlord in the Islands – ‘no longer in existence.’ The draft says 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.’ Under the proposal, the agency would sell some units to tenants and also redevelop rental projects under a mixed-income model aimed at deconcentrating poverty while preserving affordability…”