Catholic Charities Hawaii opened the first completed building, above, of its new Meheula Vista affordable housing complex in Mililani Mauka. Meheula Vista provides low-income seniors with a permanent living option and on-property amenities which allow them to “age in place.” The new building was blessed and ground was broken for the second phase of construction, Feb. 28. At the blessing and ground breaking ceremony below were Monsignor John Mbinda, pastor of St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church in Mililani; Craig K. Hirai, executive director of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation; Rick Stack, president of the Catholic Charities Housing Development Corporation; and Terry Walsh, president and CEO of Catholic Charities Hawaii. (Photos by Darlene Dela Cruz)
Meheula Vista, Mililani Mauka
Story and photos by Darlene J.M. Dela Cruz Hawaii Catholic Herald
On state land nestled in a cool, quiet Mililani Mauka suburb, Catholic Charities Hawaii officially opened a new affordable housing complex for Island seniors.
A Feb. 28 blessing ceremony brought community members together with Catholic Charities Hawaii staff, Catholic parishioners, local government leaders and inaugural residents of the Meheula Vista housing development to celebrate this milestone.
Ground was broken two years ago for the construction of Meheula Vista’s first building, now a finished, stately mint-colored structure with 75 one-bedroom, one-bath units. Over the next few years, several phases of construction will complete four apartment buildings with a total of 301 housing units, a multi-purpose building for activities, and 143 parking stalls.
Meheula Vista serves seniors who make 60 percent or less of the area median income. In addition to providing them a place for permanent living, Meheula Vista will offer amenities such as fully equipped kitchens, a picnic area, a coin-operated laundry, and an on-site resident manager.
“It is more important than ever to provide our kupuna with affordable rental options,” said Catholic Charities Housing Development Corporation president Rick Stack in a Feb. 28 press release. “Meheula Vista helps fill this gap.”
The Catholic Charities Housing Development Corporation is a nonprofit organization — a subsidiary of Catholic Charities Hawaii — which owns, develops and manages real estate properties with the intent to provide affordable housing for the elderly, special needs individuals and other socially or economically disadvantaged persons and families.
CCHDC contracted Castle & Cook Homes Hawaii to construct the Meheula Vista complex.
The Meheula Vista project began under the auspices of former Catholic Charities Hawaii president and CEO Jerry Rauckhorst. Rauckhorst, who retired last October, attended the Feb. 28 opening.
Terry Walsh, current Catholic Charities Hawaii president and CEO, praised Rauckhorst for envisioning the many benefits of Meheula Vista for the Islands’ aging community.
“We believe this could be a model that could be used for affordable senior housing in the state,” Walsh said at the blessing ceremony.
Msgr. John Mbinda, pastor of St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church in Mililani, blessed the new Meheula Vista building, as well as the ground that was broken for the project’s second phase of construction aimed for completion by early 2018.
Applications are being accepted for the first phase of Meheula Vista units. For more information, call 625-9573.
