To make affordable housing more accessible to residents of Hawaii Island, Mayor Mitch Roth signed Bill 72 into law this month. This new law seeks to redefine eligibility requirements for affordable housing and hopes to mitigate the current housing crisis in the county.
Delving into the details of the recently passed bill, To make affordable housing more affordable for residents of Hawaii Island, Mayor Mitch Roth signed Bill 72 into law this month. The amendment of Hawaii County Code Chapter 11 defines an eligible buyer as "a person who meets eligibility requirements, including income limitations as established by the chapter or rule." And it adds language to specify qualified applicants for affordable housing, according to the county’s news release. Those are a "qualified resident," "qualified returning student," and a "qualified worker."
Another change "outlines specific applicant preferences based on the three new definitions."
Moving on to a more detailed explanation of these categories, The bill states that: a "‘qualified resident’ means a person who is a full-time resident of the County of Hawaii." A "'qualified returning student’ is a person who was a qualified resident immediately prior to leaving the County of Hawai’i to attend a university, college, or a trade school and who has not taken affirmative steps to relinquish resident status within the County." A "'qualified worker’ is a person who earns at least 75% of their income within a distance specified by the housing administrator of any affordable housing project."
To put these changes into context, The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports that as of 2021, there was a 27,014 unit shortage for rental of affordable housing for extremely low income renters, and that the annual household income needed to rent a 2-bedroom home was approximately $87,013, at HUD’s Fair Market Rent. That’s problematic, because the website notes that the highest income for a 4-person extremely low income household is $30,770.
Reflecting on the recent signing of this crucial bill, Roth signed the bill into law on Nov. 20. It was a project of Council Chair Heather Kimball, and Vice Chair Holeka Goro Inaba, according to the county’s press release. About the signing of the bill into law, Kimball had this to say:
"The passage of this ordinance signifies the County's commitment to addressing the affordable housing crisis and ensuring that its residents have the opportunity to secure suitable housing. These amendments seek to create a more inclusive and flexible framework to meet the diverse needs of Hawai'i County residents seeking affordable housing options."