Do you want to end homelessness? Do you have family or friends struggling to pay rent? Do you want the State Legislature to put a priority on creating affordable housing? Do you want the state government to work toward a Hawaii where all can be safely and securely housed?
Here is one realistic, long-term, achievable solution to these problems: the Rental Housing Trust Fund.
This fund provides money to build affordable rentals, including micro apartments (e.g. efficiency studios). It needs $100 million to make a significant impact.
But the State Legislature, which allocates the funds, has just been told that the state Council on Revenues has downgraded the projection for state revenue growth for 2014 and 2015, which will result in $478 million less revenue for the state to spend!
The legislature needs to be persuaded not to cut what it gives to the Rental Housing Trust Fund. Why? Because to meet the demand of all its residents, Hawaii needs 50,000 new housing rental units, including 13,000 units for households with an 80 percent or lower average median income.
Rents have risen more than 45 percent since 2005. Nearly 75 percent of extremely low income households spend more than half their income on rent.
The market is not building affordable rentals. This is verified by the increase in homelessness on our neighborhoods, beaches and parks. Hawaii has the highest rate of homelessness in the country. We must provide the people of Hawaii with safe, decent and affordable rental housing.
The Rental Housing Trust Fund is a critical tool in the state’s efforts to procure new affordable rental housing. As of June 30, 2013, the fund has helped create 4,567 affordable rental units statewide. It’s an effective system, one that partners with private and non-profit developers. But there are more projects than there is money to pay for them. In 2013, the trust fund received $70.4 million in project requests. Most will not be funded due to limited funds.
The trust fund mandates that 5 percent of the units go to families at 30 percent of area median income or below. These are the people most vulnerable to homelessness.
The Rental Housing Trust Fund also has side benefits. Housing is an economic driver. Four projects the fund awarded in 2012 resulted in the creation of 213 direct construction jobs and 500 indirect jobs.
Next month, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Partners in Care (Oahu’s coalition to end homelessness) and the Hawaii Catholic Conference will be at the Hawaii State Legislature campaigning for the Rental Housing Trust Fund. If you want to help, contact me at Catholic Charities Hawaii and I will show you how: bettylou.larson@catholiccharitieshawaii.org.
Betty Lou Larson is the Catholic Charities Hawaii Legislative Liaison.
