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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0281.084 2020-2022 MI q4 16-105'Opukaha'ia St.NE14HBORHOOD PLACE OF PUNA j Kea'au.NI 96749 ON To Nuture,Strengthen,and Celebrate Ohana ph:(808)965-5550 www.neighborlioodplace.org fx:(808)965-5109 8/17/2021 According to the 2019 Hawaii Housing Plan Study(pp 36-40),Hawaii County will need an additional 13,303 housing units by 2025 to meet housing demand.Hawaii is nowhere near meeting this goal.We build only a small fraction of this number yearly,putting our community at continual risk of increased housing shortages and crisis. We need our leaders to prioritize the needs of our whole community,not just a niche group.While we support higher wages for all community members,the idea that laborers in unions would suffer from competition from Factory Built Homes is likely untrue. Factory Build Homes do not mean less jobs for contractors(remember we need 13,303 new units).These would mean addressing our affordable housing crisis in a scaled and rapid way that matches the need. Supporting Factory Built Homes means housing more families and helping more residents take financial control of their future. We urge individuals concerned about competition in construction to remember that the average home sale price in Hawai'i is around half a million dollars,far out of reach for a majority of our local community members.The price point for Factory Built Homes supports working class families who would otherwise not be able to afford home ownership. Increasing local home ownership in Hawai'i is very important.Home owners have an easier time saving for the future, and tend to have more financial security than those who rent.Embracing Factory Built Homes means giving the opportunity of home ownership to working class families.When we add unnecessary safety amendments to the building code for these homes,we lock in continued unaffordability of housing. The idea that Factory Built Homes are a safety concern is generally unfounded.Sources cited by our remaining counsel member proposing amendments regarding safety have not been validated.What we have found in our research around the issue is that Factory Built Homes actually held up better and were found to be more secure than traditionally built homes(source:FEMA). We ask that our local leaders act out of love instead of fear:Love for our community,and love for our local family members.We need compassion and deliberate action around the need for rapid and conscious change to heal our ongoing housing crisis.Fears of the new,the unknown,or competitive prices should not be barriers to effectively addressing our housing crisis.We know that there is enough work to go around,and we ask that the County not add additional measures to the building code dampening much needed housing affordability and development. Our local families,and children at risk of(and already experiencing)homelessness deserve better. Factory Built Homes have been found to be safe and effective in other communities,and our community cannot afford to keep waiting to act on our housing crisis.Please allow for a clear and affordable path for housing innovation that can help us address our immediate need of 13,303 new units by 2025.Amendments to Bill 44 citing"safety"have not been confirmed to be rooted in reality and would be an unnecessary waste of community resources--increasing build times and costs which would limit the effectiveness of innovative housing solutions.Please pass Bill 44 without amendments. Kaikea Kaleikini Blakemore Neighborhood Place of Puna-Community Development Specialist Vibrant Hawaii Housing Coalition-Co-Chair Community Alliance Partners-Awareness Chair Comm* Ref. To: _ Ref. Date 8