Column: State must lead, guide housing market

The governor announced in his State of the State address that housing is his “top priority,” proclaiming “now is the time for bold action” to end Hawaii’s severe housing shortage and described affordable housing as a “human right.” Housing is the leading driver of Hawaii’s incomparable cost of living, so for people coming of age struggling to figure out how we can make life work, this is music to our ears.

But to actually ensure housing as a human right, we’ll need government intervention to guide the housing market in a humane direction. Here are four key actions to ensure kamaaina have housing for generations to come.

>> First, the state must build lots of housing on its own land. We have precedent: Build off last year’s momentum and fulfill our constitutional obligations to fully fund the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, providing housing for all 29,000 beneficiaries on the waitlist. Then the state should do what it constitutionally can to do this for all kamaaina, as proposed by state Sen. Stanley Chang, and work with developers to build 99-year leasehold housing on other state lands, then sell them at-cost to all interested Hawaii residents who will be owner-occupants and own no other property.

Quickly, the governor should designate land for the next two decades’ of housing supply with the Legislature providing funding to develop the infrastructure for these homes. Within four years, we could house 10,000 families, break ground on 25,000 units, and begin planning 100,000 units — ending our housing deficit for the decade.

>> Second, make more efficient use of existing subsidy programs. Most new affordable housing built in Hawaii is paid for by federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and the state Rental Housing Revolving Fund (RHRF), yet private developers own all the equity in the projects while the state bears the risk. This is a bad deal for the taxpayer and an inefficient way to build housing.

Instead, the state should prioritize funding its own projects with LIHTC money, and obligate grant-winners to use their profits to develop more housing, so funding can be recycled. Vienna, Austria uses this self-perpetuating model to house 60% of its residents without spending a penny in new taxpayer funds. Also, instead of giving large loans to above-market-rent rental housing, as RHRF currently does, they could lower rent more cheaply by buying mortgage insurance to secure low-interest rates. With every 0.25 point interest rate decrease, rent goes down by $100 per month.

>> Third, let’s do more to protect renters. We spend the highest proportion of income on rent of any state, an average of 42.1%, but have some of the weakest protections. State Rep. Amy Perruso has introduced legislation for the state to take basic steps that comparable housing markets across the U.S. have taken by enacting “just cause” evictions, stabilizing rent by limiting the rate of increase allowed each year, and establishing a “tenant’s bill of rights.”

>> Lastly, consolidate the agencies responsible for housing. The governor elevated a housing czar to his Cabinet — an important step — but the housing agencies are buried in different departments and don’t report to her. The state should reorganize into one Department of Housing that prioritizes state land and housing resources, as places like Arizona and Maryland already do.

We’ve entered our sixth straight year of population decline. Thousands of working families leave the state every year. More than half of all Native Hawaiians now live outside Hawaii. By taking these steps, we have the opportunity to ensure that local families can thrive here in perpetuity. It’s our highest duty to do so.

Evan Weber is co-founder of Our Hawaiʻi and a public policy expert.