Affordable Housing

Hawaiʻi’s high cost of housing, combined with weak renter protections, leaves many vulnerable to sudden displacement. This leads to long-term adverse impacts to health, education, and finances, creating a cycle of housing and economic instability that can span generations. Strengthening renter protections is crucial to breaking this cycle and ensuring a stable future for our communities.

HB463/SB154 - Eviction record sealing

• Eviction record sealing is crucial for giving tenants a fair chance at securing stable housing, as past evictions—regardless of circumstances—can create lasting barriers to rental opportunities, trapping families in cycles of housing instability.

HB464/SB153 - Extended notice for rental leases

• Extended notice for rent increases and lease terminations is essential to give renters enough time to plan, budget, or relocate due to changes in their housing situations, preventing financial strain. 

HB1324 - Right to counsel in eviction cases

• The right to counsel ensures tenants have legal representation in court to defend themselves and prevent unjust evictions. Given the lack of a monitoring and enforcement of Hawaiʻi’s landlord-tenant laws, legal representation is the only safeguard to ensure these laws are fairly upheld.

HB1325 - Right of return for displaced tenants

• The right of return for displaced tenants in 201H projects ensures that those forced to relocate due to redevelopment have the opportunity to return to newly built affordable housing, preventing permanent displacement and preserving community stability.  

These bills create a secondary housing market for eligible residents through deed restrictions. By securing a dedicated housing supply for local residents who may otherwise be priced out of the market, these programs mitigate local displacement caused by rising property values from foreign investment. Homeowners who voluntarily opt into the program must place a permanent deed restriction on their property, ensuring it can only be sold or rented to eligible residents meeting specific residency criteria. 

HB739/SB490 - Kama‘aina Deed Restriction Program

• Available to all eligible homeowners, this program provides an upfront grant with no restrictions on use in exchange for a placed deed restriction. These funds can support households covering mortgage costs, home repairs, education costs, or other pressing expenses, while contributing to long-term community stability. Many homeowners may find this appealing if they do not wish to sell their homes yet, need immediate access to funds, and want to ensure their property will remain in local hands in perpetuity. 

HB740/SB491 - Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Deed Restriction Program

• Available to homeowners eligible to build an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on their property, this program provides an upfront grant to help finance ADU construction in exchange for a permanent deed restriction. This financing helps increase ADU supply—offering versatile, typically more affordable living options that serve as starter homes for young adults, nearby residences for kupuna to age in place, or independent spaces for family members who can’t yet afford their own home while helping to prevent overcrowding.

HB1410 - Conveyance Tax Reform

• This bill would help generate dedicated funding for affordable housing development by adjusting the tax on high-end property sales. These high end properties are mostly owned and sold by outside investors. This ensures a fair contribution from investors who profit from and drive up the costs of our housing market.

HB416/SB27 - 201H County Bypass

• This bill would streamline the development process by exempting state-financed affordable housing projects from county council approval, eliminating a redundant layer of bureaucracy that delays affordable housing construction. With Hawaiʻi facing the highest land and construction costs in the nation and one of the strictest regulatory environments, unnecessary approval processes only drive up costs and stall much-needed projects. County-level approval also invites hyper-local opposition, allowing vocal minorities to obstruct developments at the expense of future residents who need affordable housing.

HB432 - Mixed Income Subaccount 

• Funding a mixed-income subaccount is essential to filling Hawaiʻi’s workforce housing gap, as current housing programs primarily serve either low-income residents or high-income buyers, leaving middle-income workers—such as teachers, firefighters, and healthcare professionals—without affordable options. Without dedicated financing, mixed-income projects struggle to secure funding, exacerbating the state’s housing crisis, workforce shortages, and outmigration of working families.