Laserfiche WebLink
takes pets so do not put that down on your application. They have to take <br />service and assistance animals. Right now it’s a mess trying to find housing <br />available because of the university students, and people from Puna who feel they <br />are going to be cut off are trying to relocate into Hilo. Technically if you signed a <br />six month lease, you are responsible for that unless the house is destroyed and <br />uninhabitable or you have no access to it. If it does cut off the highway, <br />everybody is going to be trying to relocate. <br /> <br />S. Nagasawa <br />Regarding Section 8, stated that you receive a 60-day voucher <br />and if you are not able to find a house you can get an extension for 30 days. But <br />after that you get placed on the bottom of the waiting list again which is close to <br />6,000 people. The disabled on wheelchairs have no control over the housing <br />situation at this point. Now it seems that the clients that get the voucher are <br />being penalized for the economy. <br /> <br />A. Rudo <br /> stated that they are well aware of the situation. But if you need a <br />reasonable accommodation because of your disability, they have to grant you an <br />extension. It is important to try and get a unit first and then you can change from <br />there to be able to move. That way you’re not under the timeframe. You need to <br />do whatever you can to protect that voucher. You’re dealing with a tight program <br />and they do have a long wait list. There are no preferences for people with <br />disabilities because there are a lot of people with disabilities on the wait list, <br />especially elderly people. There is preference if you’re homeless but the problem <br />was this program is only good for two years. Alan stated that he has seen the <br />wait list go from years down to six months and up to five years. <br /> <br />Housing in Hawai‘i can be tough. With HOPE services and other nonprofits out <br />in the neighborhoods working with the community there is less resistance. <br /> <br />S. Nagasawa <br /> inquired about the availability for low income housing or elderly <br />housing in the Pahoa area. Alan stated that it was the most difficult region <br />because it is in lava zone 1 or 2 and that is why there are no CDBG funds. With <br />CDP, the first project was the buildings from Kawaihae which was earmarked for <br />the re-entry housing. So we did get the 24 units there at the Catholic Church <br />lands but it will be for senior housing. They are still doing repairs going through <br />the permitting process etc. Minimum is about a five year cycle. <br /> <br />J. Floyd <br /> inquired if there is a Housing website for questions and answers that <br />can be posted as FAQs. Alan stated that they don’t have that but they do try to <br />post things that they do see. Even with the lava information, USGS is tracking <br />that. And I think the County site links directly to it. They do a fly over and they <br />provide the projections. <br /> <br />J. Floyd <br /> stated that his interest is in the response to the housing needs as a <br />result of the lava flow. He works with the Development Disability Division with <br />stroke disability conditions. The issue with his 13 family members (clients) is this <br />could be a permanent relocation and they have no access to getting information <br />and what their options are. They are worried about where they are going to go. <br />It would help if there was a one-stop information center where people can go to. <br />4 <br /> <br />