CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Most of the units of Palolo Homes have been renovated, including those in the foreground. The units in back will be renovated and rented out following a lottery later this month.
Rozell Kido likes the larger bathroom in her newly renovated Palolo Homes apartment. Lottery set for last
Palolo Valley homesBy Pat Gee
pgee@starbulletin.com
Kido, who uses a wheelchair, can now maneuver in the bathroom with equipment for the handicapped. It also means two people can fit into the bathroom so daughter Georgette Kido can easily help her mother.
Georgette, who lives elsewhere, likes the renovated apartment so much she intends to apply for one for herself.
The Mutual Housing Association of Hawaii, which owns and manages the low-income Palolo complex, expects between 200 and 400 people to apply for a chance at the last 64 units to be renovated. To give everyone "a fair shot," they will be selected by lottery, says Dahlia Asuega, resident services manager.
Asuega said most of the 64 units, available for occupancy by April, have two bedrooms. Units with three, four and five bedrooms also will be offered. Sixteen are designed according to Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility standards.
Most have one or one and a half bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and space for a washer and dryer. The units come with a new stove and refrigerator. All bathroom fixtures, linoleum flooring, and kitchen cabinets are new, Asuega said.
All units received a new coat of paint inside and out, and A-shaped tin roofs to replace the flat cement roofs, which accumulated water and led to extensive leakage, she added.
Asuega said 234 families, including Rozell Kido, who have resided at the 306-unit complex, have already moved back into their newly renovated apartments, which are 50 years old, and some people have to be screened for eligibility. The families were moved to other units while their units were being renovated.
"It's not just about renovations," Asuega said. "It's about pride (in one's home), changing people's lives and way of life, giving families opportunities," as a result of residents forming a partnership with management.
She said the complex already has a computer learning center, and a tutoring program supported by two local universities.
This is the first time a lottery has been used by Mutual, a private, nonprofit housing organization that actively involves residents in the management of its properties.
The deadline for applications is Jan. 17, and forms may be picked only at the Palolo Homes management office on 2170 Ahe St. The drawing will be held Jan. 22 and results will be mailed to all entrants within three days.
Mutual acquired Palolo Homes from the state in March 2002 and began $13.5 million in renovations of the 306 units in May.
State of Hawaii
