Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 6, 1 June 2004 — Housing forum [ARTICLE]

Housing forum

Earlier this year, OHA co-spon-sored a Housing Service Providers' Forum, along with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S.D.A. Rural Development. Throughout the day, 20 federal, state, county and nonprofit housing service providers addressed the question "How ean your agency help Native Hawaiians with our rental and homeownership issues?" OHA helped bring these agencies together because Hawai'i residents have one of the highest cost-of-living rates in the nation, while earning wages that are among the lowest in the country. These two factors, among others, have created a critical need for affordable housing in the islands. One of the results of this eroding affordable inventory is an increase in the homeless population. Currently, 30 percent of the state's homeless population identify themselves as Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian. As a result of the forum, OHA's housing staff plans to eompile the information presented at the event into a bound document titled "Hawai'i Housing Service Providers - 2004." For more information, eall 594-1944. ■