In The News
Tenants Fight to Keep Rent Affordable
May 26, 2007
KGMB9
After the messy battle to save low-income housing units at Kukui Gardens, more than 100 tenants at similar buildings are joining forces to make sure it doesn’t happen to them.
Ellan Taylor’s piece of paradise is her affordable unit in the heart of Chinatown. She pays only $700 a month.
“I can’t go out and afford the normal rents in Hawaii, so I am very fortunate and very thankful for our affordable housing and just want to be able to keep it that way,” said Taylor, who works as a secretary for a government agency.
Her building, the Marin Tower, is one of 12 affordable housing properties owned by the city. But the city plans to sell all of them and tenants fear when that happens rent will go up.
“Now all of a sudden, the rug is going to be pulled out from under us if we don’t find a buyer that is willing to keep it affordable,” said Taylor.
More than 100 tenants are joining forces in hopes they can have a say in who buys their buildings.
“They’re going to reach out to the City Council and reach out to the mayor on the one hand and try to get them to agree to sell the building with conditions that require the affordability to stay in place and get owners that care about the residents,” said Drew Astolfi of Faith Action for Community Equity.
The mayor says he plans to make sure the new buyers have the expertise and funds to keep the rentals affordable and in repair.
“I want to do it right. I want to do it very sensitively, and I want to make sure that whoever comes in understands we want to keep it affordable,” said Mayor Mufi Hannemann.
With rent in Honolulu averaging over $1,000, these residents say they cherish their affordable units provided by the city. A unit at the Chinatown Gateway Plaza is only $600. The Chinatown Manor costs $405. Taylor says living affordably in Hawaii is priceless.
