LINGLE ADMINISTRATION PRESENTS AFFORDABLE HOUSING REPORT TO LEGISLATURE
For Immediate Release: January 3, 2005
HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today presented to the Hawai`i State Legislature a report prepared by the Affordable Housing Task Force outlining specific recommendations for short- and long-term solutions to Hawai`i’s affordable housing shortage.
Governor Lingle convened the task force on July 20, 2004, in response to Senate Concurrent Resolution 135 to find solutions to the affordable housing crisis in the state. Under the coordination of the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawai`i (HCDCH), an expanded 108-member task force held a public forum in August to bring together representatives from state, county and federal agencies, private developers, financial institutions, the real estate industry, housing advocates, and social service providers.
“Recognizing the growing need for affordable housing on all major islands in the state, we reached out to the business community and housing advocacy groups to help us find real solutions, and they stepped forward in a very big way,” said Governor Lingle.
Following the August forum, the HCDCH convened five smaller working groups that met in October through December to address the issue areas that were identified as top priorities in addressing the affordable housing shortage. The five working groups focused on: streamlining the state and county land use entitlement processes; developing creative financing for infrastructure development; improving the coordination of federal, state and county financing programs to facilitate affordable housing development; identifying financing strategies to develop affordable housing, including funding for the Rental Housing Trust Fund; and creating an institutional structure to focus on stimulating the development of affordable, workforce housing.
“The task force members had the heart to do this, and they developed sound, well thought-out recommendations that will make their way into legislation. Their collaborative work helped me craft my legislative package on affordable housing that I will unveil on January 24th, and I would not be surprised if the Legislature comes up with many of the same proposals. Collaboration is critically important to get everyone together, talking together, moving forward as one. This is an issue that clearly will allow us to work together as a team,” said the Governor as she presented a copy of the report to Senator Ron Menor. He will co-chair a Senate task force that will hold public meetings on affordable housing around the state starting tomorrow.
“We need the political will and commitment to work together to create partnerships and a combination of incentives to address the affordable housing shortage,” the report said. “The push to address Hawai`i’s critical affordable housing shortage is in motion. To move forward, policy makers need to decide on what alternatives will be pursued and funded. After the policy decisions are made, the appropriate tools can be further refined and implemented.”
In response to receiving the report, Senator Menor said, “Legislators recognize the fact that if we are going to solve the (affordable housing) problem that it’s going to take key stakeholders in both the public and private sectors, including the Legislature and the Governor, to be able to work together on this very important issue, so we share the Governor’s sentiments about collaboration.”
To read the full report, visit the HCDCH Web site’s Affordable Housing Task Force informational page at: http://www.hcdch.hawaii.gov/scr135.htm. To view a video of today’s news conference and the Governor’s presentation of the report to the Legislature, visit the Governor’s Web site at: www.hawaii.gov/gov/newsconferences.
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For more information, contact:
Stephanie Aveiro
Executive Director, HCDCH
Phone: 587-0641
Lenny Klompus
Phone: 586-7708
Senior Advisor – Communications
Russell Pang
Chief of Media Relations
Phone: 586-0043
