At the end of River Street in Chinatown, there is being built an affordable senior housing and community center called Halewai‘olu (House of Pleasant Water). It is more than just another condominium. It represents the unity of the Chinatown and Chinese community, and a dream that will finally become a reality after an over 14-year battle.

The dream began in 2008 when the city wanted to build a “Housing First” building to house homeless people with mental and drug problems at the end of River Street. When members of the Chinatown community heard about the project at a city town meeting, they were enraged. The subject property was owned by the city and had a deteriorating two-story building with few tenants. Although the Housing First concept was a good one, the project was at the wrong location. The venue was surrounded by two temples, a shrine, three schools, businesses and senior housing.

The Chinatown community protested and as a result, an organization called the Concerned Citizens on River Street Housing (CCORSH) was established that comprised a cross-section of the Chinatown and Chinese community: the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, United Chinese Society, Neighborhood Board No. 13, Mun Lun School, the two temples and shrine and surrounding businesses. Even our City Councilmember at the time, Rod Tam, was part of the organization and became our companion in the Council, which supported our fight to stop the Housing First project being built at the site.

The CCORSH organized and rallied the Chinatown and Chinese community. It even organized a mass rally at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza with hundreds in attendance. Finally, after more than three years of battle, the city relented and gave up the idea of the Housing First project at the end of River Street.

But what to do with this fallow city property? The two-story building now had only two tenants — a bar on the first floor and an accountant on the second. The answer: much-needed affordable senior housing and a community center, especially for the seniors in the neighborhood. The Chinatown Community Center Association (CCCA) was formed and incorporated.

This time Councilmember Carol Fukunaga was our companion on the City Council and helped us gain Council support. Even Chinatown Neighborhood Board No. 13 supported this. It was an arduous task to make the city move on the dream of having an affordable senior housing project and a community center. But after much cajoling, it finally issued a request for proposal for bids after toying with the idea of a request for initiatives.

The Michaels Organization got the contract, but it took a few years for the company to get financing. In the meantime, there were concerns from the community with the construction of the project, which were eventually worked out. In 2021 the City Council approved the project and there was a groundbreaking — and Halewai‘olu is now scheduled to be completed before the end of 2023.

It is a dream come true after more than 14 years. But what is more important is that this is not a developer’s initiative nor the city’s initiative, but the initiative of the Chinatown and Chinese community working together to make this dream become a reality.

Wesley Fong is president of the Chinatown Community Center Association.