Project to cater
to severely disabled
The 24-unit Waipahu complex
Star-Bulletin staff
is slated to be completed
in 1999The state said today it will transfer a Waipahu parcel of land to a nonprofit company that plans a housing project designed for people with quadriplegia and other severe disabilities.
Independent Living Waipahu Inc., the developer and owner of the 24-unit apartment complex, paid $500,000 for the 31,040 square foot parcel, part of the state's Kauolu residential/commercial project.
Construction is scheduled to start in August and be ready for occupancy in next spring. Cost for construction, design and operations is about $7.9 million.
Rental preference will be given to people with quadriplegia and others who experience a seriously limited range of motion and loss of physical strength, according to an announcement by Gov. Ben Cayetano.
Apartment features include voice-activated lighting, appliances, window shades and doors, adjustable shelves and counter tops and convenient washer/dryers.
"This is a first for Hawaii," said Elaine Shinagawa, housing coordinator for Independent Living Waipahu Inc.
"This will help them regain some sense of control of their environment and, at the same time, enhance their feeling of self esteem."
Project co-sponsors are Independent Living Housing Inc., the nonprofit formed in 1994 to set up the project; Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific; and Accessible Space Inc., based in St. Paul, Minn.
The state is providing $700,000 in capital improvement funds, and a $50,000 grant from the rental housing trust fund.
The City and County of Honolulu is adding $500,000 in community development block grants and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing $3 million for planning and construction and additional money to help keep rents low.
Rents with operational subsidies will be about $500 to $600 a month, based on 30 percent of the renter's income and HUD guidelines, Shinagawa said.
