Affordable housing facility opens

The last piece of a more than 30-year-old vision to build affordable housing on state land in Pearl City has been completed in tribute to Hansen’s disease patients forcibly removed from their state-run care home on the same site in 1983.

Initial residents began moving into 84 low-income rental apartments at Hale Mohalu II on Friday, and representatives of the project’s nonprofit developer, along with guests and city and state leaders, held a grand-opening ceremony Monday outside the complex.

The apartments, which rent for as little as $494 a month, represent the last portion of a two-phase plan to develop affordable housing on 11 acres that was long the site of a Hansen’s patient facility called Hale Mohalu, or “House of Comfort.”

Clarence “Boogie” Kahilihiwa, who lived at the original Hale Mohalu from 1950 to 1959 as a child before being sent to Kalaupapa, Molokai, said he appreciated the tribute and the determination that resulted in affordable homes rising on the land instead of contemplated uses that included a sports complex.

“I’m so glad,” he said. “I’m proud of Wally (Inglis) and the housing coalition.”

Inglis, a former priest and friend of Hale Mohalu residents, helped form the nonprofit Coalition for Specialized Housing, which promoted and then realized the development plan that cost more than $150 million and produced about 550 homes for low-income residents.

The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp., a state agency facilitating affordable-housing development, awarded about $145 million in loans, revenue bonds and federal and state tax credits for the second phase. The city awarded $7.5 million in federal grant money. Private lender financing also was obtained.

An initial phase with 210 low-rise town-home-style units opened in 1996 with the Hale Mohalu name and was reserved for seniors, including those with disabilities.

The second phase was divided into four seven-story buildings each with 84 units and generally referred to as Hale Mohalu II. The initial two midrise buildings opened in 2013 for seniors. A third building opened a year ago for families. The last building, celebrated Monday, also is for families.

To qualify for the family rentals, applicants may not earn more than 60 percent of the annual median income for Honolulu. The limit equates to $46,020 for a couple or $57,480 for a family of four. Most units are reserved for households with income no more than 50 percent of the median income, and some are reserved for households earning no more than 30 percent.

Monthly rents range from $494 for a two-bedroom apartment for a family at the lowest income limit up to $1,297 for a three-bedroom apartment at the highest income limit.

Locations LLC, the project’s property management firm, received overwhelming interest for the last two buildings, whose tenants were selected from a lottery with about 800 entries.

Keith Ruis, a retired merchant marine who moved into the third building, said the spartan apartments serve a need. “It’s not bad for the price,” he said. “It’s helpful.”

Gov. David Ige helped with Monday’s ceremony, which included the untying of a maile lei.

“We do know that the long-term solution to homelessness is really about affordable housing and ensuring that our community has housing that they can afford to live in, and this project is a great example of what we need more of,” Ige said.

Completing the Hale Mohalu homes took more than 30 years and paid tribute to those who were forced into the care facility and then forced out.

The state announced in 1978 that it would close the care home after letting it fall into disrepair. Though the number of patients had dropped to 13 from a high of about 100, those remaining considered Hale Mohalu their sanctuary and refused the state’s offer of relocation to Kalaupapa or to Leahi Hospital on Oahu.

A standoff ensued and produced a legal challenge, pickets at the Legislature and fasts in front of the Father Damien statue at the state Capitol. The state also cut off water, electricity and medical services to patients, which prompted friends and volunteers to help support the holdouts.

In 1983 a federal appellate court ruling upheld the eviction decision, and state enforcement officers executed a pre-dawn raid in which 18 residents and supporters were arrested. Some were carried out in handcuffs. Bulldozers quickly followed.

At the time, state officials said they had no plans for the property. But a year later the state approved a plan for a sports complex on the site. Former Hale Mohalu residents argued that housing for seniors was more appropriate, and they rallied support for that vision.

In honor of the patients, the two senior buildings in the second phase of homes were named after two of the last holdouts: Bernard Punikai‘a and Clarence Naia. The third building was named the Frank and Mary Duarte Building after two more of Hale Mohalu’s last patients. The last building was named for a bigger group and is called the Kalaupapa ‘Ohana Building.

During Monday’s ceremony Inglis pointed to a hand-painted sign used during the eviction protests that said Hale Mohalu residents were waiting for justice and asked how much longer they would wait.

“No longer,” he answered. “We’ve done it.”