Press Releases

Hawaii rents, already least affordable in nation, get worse - Mary Vorsino, Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

Study rebuts anecdotal reports that renters were getting a break . . .

Thursday, April 22, 2010 -  At a time when Hawai'i families are weathering pay cuts and job losses, here's more gloomy news: The income needed to afford a modest two-bedroom rental in the Islands rose by nearly $3,000 this year to $64,396 annually — $26,000 more than the national average, a report on housing affordability shows.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition's 2010 Out of Reach study, which was released yesterday, again ranks Hawai'i as the least affordable state in the nation for renters — a spot it has held since 2005. The study puts Hawai'i's "housing wage," a calculation of the minimum hourly pay needed to rent a two-bedroom home, at $30.96 in 2010, up from $29.53 (or $61,428 annually) the year before.... Read More >

Friday, May 9, 2008 | New data on home-buying is daunting - Janis L. Magin of Pacific Business News

Can a firefighter and a school teacher afford to buy a modest home in Honolulu?

Not on their salaries alone.

A married couple working in those occupations would need the salary of one more person earning comparable pay, and then some, to afford a median-priced single-family home on Oahu, according to new data compiled for a nonprofit group.

The data found that it would take 3.19 firefighters earning the median salary to purchase a house priced at $599,000. It would take 3.63 elementary school teachers earning the median salary of $39,596 to buy that same house... Read More >

Pacific Mountain Network News | Housing Hawai’i Conference Builds Consensus

Honolulu meeting focused on removing regulatory barriers to solve the state’s affordable housing crisis - By Kristin Middaugh, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, public affairs specialist

Hawaii’s desperate need for affordable housing was the topic of a recent conference that featured more than a dozen speakers and attracted more than 200 attendees.

Held Oct. 17, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Housing Hawaii’s fall conference addressed such topics as developers’ perspectives; advocating for affordable housing; and what’s working and what isn ’t in the affordable housing field... Read More >

Executive Chambers Honolulu | Governor Lingle Establishes Affordable Housing Regulatory Barriers Task Force

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle has established by executive order the Affordable Housing Regulatory Barriers Task Force to identify regulatory barriers that add to the cost of housing or prevent construction of housing in the state. The Governor announced the new task force today at the blessing and dedication of the Courtyards at Mililani Mauka Affordable Rental Apartments, as part of the Lingle-Aiona Administration’s ongoing effort to find solutions to the affordable housing shortage in Hawai‘i. “Our Administration has been working collaboratively with diverse sectors of the community to address the affordable housing shortage in the state, ” said Governor Lingle... Read More >

Rural Community Assistance Corporation | RCAC Gives Thanks for Wathen's $50,000 Donation to Support Housing Hawaii

From left to right: Charles P. Wathen, Denise Boswell (Executive Director Housing Hawaii), Bruce Newman (RCRA) and Richard Knight (HUD)

West Sacramento, Calif. — Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving small rural and tribal communities is giving special thanks this holiday season for a recently received $50,000 grant from Charles Wathen. Wathen is a real estate developer and entrepreneur dedicated to finding viable solutions to the affordable housing and homeless situation in the State of Hawaii.

RCAC shares similar goals, addressing affordable housing and homelessness issues through training, technical assistance and access to resources. RCAC is designated by the federal government as a Community Development Financial Institution and operates a $60 million loan fund that provides low-cost loans to communities and nonprofit organizations. RCAC recently hosted the Hawai’i Statewide Homeless Forum. The grant will be used to help fund a local RCAC executive director position to address affordable housing issues in Hawaii.

 For more on RCAC please visit www.rcac.org.