Tambra Jardine stood in line Saturday morning, not just for the chance to get a low-rent home, but also in hopes of returning to a life of normalcy.
The 46-year-old woman, who left a violent husband, is a recovering crystal meth addict.
"That’s how I ended up losing my apartment," she said. "You get caught up in crystal meth, and that’s how I ended up on the street."
Jardine was one of 350 individuals and families who received a letter from the state to apply for federal low-income public housing Saturday at the Hawaii Public Housing Authority’s School Street office.
Housing Authority Executive Director Hakim Ouansafi said the mass certification process statewide, staffed by volunteers from his agency, was scheduled for Saturday so that no one had to lose a day’s income.
"We’re trying to do things a little bit differently," he said. "Instead of waiting for the unit to be available … the minute the units become available, we have candidates all ready to move in."
Ouansafi has striven for efficiency in the process, going from an average turnaround time of 168 days to a mere 12 days to get an empty unit ready and a new qualified tenant in.
He said a little more than 200 units should be available within 90 days and that at least 30 units will be ready for occupancy as early as next week. This advance screening process will have 200 qualified families ready to go with all the necessary paperwork in order and a deposit ready.
Jardine and her fiance, Patrick Ortiz, 36, are both in treatment for drug addiction, and they’ve been living three months at the Kakaako homeless shelter and hope to move to an apartment of their own.
Jardine, who suffers from major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, said staying stable "keeps us clean," and both are actively looking for jobs but it’s tough since "the drugs took us in and out of prison."
She added, "This will be a new beginning for me and him."
Many have been on the waiting list for many years, like Aikuji Mejbow, who uses a wheelchair due to complications from diabetes. The 47-year-old lives in a homeless shelter in Waianae and has been on the list since 2007.
Maelani Ortiz, 31, (no relation to Patrick), said she and her mate were together for 13 years and had four children, now 14, 11, 9 and 8.
"It just didn’t work out," she said. "I was a victim of domestic violence."
Ortiz turned to drugs, the family was living on the beach and her children were taken away.
So she got help, graduated from a drug program and got her kids back two years ago. They are now living with relatives in a Kaneohe home, where it’s overcrowded, she said.
Olivia, who would provide only her first name, said her common-law husband of 10 years works as a laborer, and she stays home to care for their five children, ranging in age from 7 months to 9 years, because they can’t afford child care.
They hope to move out of Waianae transitional housing into a rental home they can afford.
Ouansafi says the housing, in concept, is transitional, to help the residents get on their feet.
"It’s unfortunate rent is so high in Hawaii," he said. "It becomes impossible for a family to get a four-bedroom for $500. Unfortunately for many it becomes permanent housing. Their level of income can never justify them paying $2,000 rent. We do not penalize as long as they are good tenants."
But they must follow strict rules to provide a safe and drug-free environment.
Ouansafi prides himself on having a low tolerance for crime, having evicted more tenants than any previous director. That has resulted in a violence-free year.
"I’m glad we’ve been able to truly turn it around," he said.
Tenants pay an average of $550 a month, ranging from zero to $1,100 a month, depending on income and other factors. For example, a couple making $17,000 annually with one dependent will pay $300 a month.
Many of the disabled pay nothing; seniors pay from nothing to $400 a month; and battered women going through domestic violence get preference.
"It gives them a glimmer of hope," Ouansafi said.
The state has 6,200 units on 85 properties. Of those, 5,400 units, or 86 percent, are federally funded. The rest are state-funded, Ouansafi said.
