Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 3, 1 March 1993 — OHA housing division helps build futures [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA housing division helps build futures

by Deborah L. Ward One of the greatest challenges the Office of Hawaiian Affairs faces is meeting the many and urgent housing needs of Hawaiians today and in the future. OHA constantly receives calls for assistance, from homeless Hawaiians on the beach, families needing help to pay their rent, homesteaders frustrated by difficulties faced in securing loans, and others who find it hard to locate affordable housing.

To respond to both immediate, short- and longer-term housing needs, OHA's newly-formed housing division is developing a housing master plan as a blueprint for action and a guide for allocating OHA's financial resources for housing (onee approved by the Board of Trustees). The plan will identify specific projects and resources (land, money and technical resources) and ways OHA ean leverage its dollars by partnering

with community groups and govemment or private agencies. Community-based development organizations A cunent initiative is to help form and assist community groups in planning and developing affordable housing projects and eeonomie development opportunities. OHA provides seed money for administrative, organizational and planning purposes. OHA's technical assistance also includes seeking support from other agencies on the community's behalf.

Creating affordable housing through self-help "sweat equity" projects is one way OHA is helping Hawaiian families. Housing officer Stephen Morse says innovation lies in the way projects are organized by non-profit eommunity groups, administered by technical contractors and subsidized through a combination of agency resources. OHA provides funds for families to get on-site

training and supervision as they build and maintain their homes. This novel approach empowers community members as they leam the skills needed to plan and do their own development. Self-help programs also teach families the basics of budgeting and homeownership. OHA is helping communities in Keaukaha and Maui to develop affordable "self-help" housing projects (see stories these pages). OHA also seeks to form similar community-based groups, on Kaua'i, Moloka'i and in other parts of the state, who want to do either self-help or other affordable housing projects.

Because homelessness and poverty are closely linked, OHA is helping Hawaiians create both jobs and housing in their eommunities. In the long range, Morse says we must help communitybased groups develop healthy communities with jobs, business opportunities, housing and other essential services, and to be

involved in planning and development from the start. Housing information & referral Because many Hawaiians eall OHA asking for housing information, Morse's 1993-95 budget request asks for a counselor to help families with housing information and referrals. This person may also help families learn how to use a home budget, and provide advice on home maintenanee.

Rental aid emergency fund Immediate financial aid for Hawaiians faced with emergency need for shelter is urgently needed. Morse's budget recommends a small rental assistance revolving ioan fund to help families pay their first month's rent and security deposit to get them into a home, or to help them catch up on past due rent. This would be a no-interest program, said Morse, because the cycle of dependency needs to be broken. Yes, it's necessary to help people get back on their feet

when times are tough, he said, but "we have to establish the sense of responsibility, yet make payments affordable." Being able to repay a loan is a necessary fac- • tor for future home ownership, he said. The housing division biennium budget request also requests: • $250,000 as a funding pool to leverage projects and permit more in-depth work on specific projects; and • $60,000 for training and technieal assistance to community groups.

Since traditional housing approaches have not served many Hawaiians, OHA hopes to get Hawaiians into a pioneering spirit, by taking an innovative approach to community-based eeonomie and housing development, and providing support training and technical assistance. Says Morse, "We must take the initiative to survive. We must rely on the pioneering, 'can-do' spirit of our people."

"The homes we built..."

Congratulations to the participants in the Keaukaha-Waiākea Self-Help Housing Project:

Paulette Ota Mickey loane George laukea Mercedes Marks Arthur lokepa Bernard Adams Ruth Brooks Ronald Decosta James Beckley Dyreson Kuoha Rebecca Grace

Beni-Jo Kuamoo Samuelyn Gaison Rae Lee Awai Judith Mitchell Elswood Noeau lsaiah Feary Bridget Tripp David Kuheana Elaine Tsukiyama Delbert Whitney Molly Segawa

James Beckley's "sweat equity" built this home.

Adams

Kuoha

Brooks

Awai

Marks

laukea