Housing and Homelessness
Too many of our children have to leave the islands because they can‘t afford a place to rent, much less buy. Hawai‘i is 49 th in the nation in home ownership. Housing prices, already the highest in the nation, are skyrocketing far beyond what even middle-class local families can afford. While wealthy outsiders acquire land and houses for second, third, or fourth homes, more and more local families are being forced into homelessness.
We need to take bold, sweeping steps now, or all that makes Hawai‘i truly special will be destroyed:
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We will dedicate state lands and funds to build affordable homes, offer targeted incentives to encourage the private sector to build more affordable units, and promote self-help building programs.
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We will pursue partnerships with counties, landowners such as religious and charitable trusts, financial institutions, and private developers to build affordable rentals.
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We will create safe places of refuge to provide stability to homeless families and the service providers that assist them. Once these places of hope are in place, park rules can be enforced, and public areas returned to public use.
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We will increase island resident home ownership by increasing taxes on real estate speculation and ownership of additional homes.
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We will require all for-profit developments to include firm percentages of affordable homes.
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We will enforce development plans to direct growth to urban areas, both to keep infrastructure costs down and avoid rural and agricultural sprawl.