Seniors take safety
issues to HUD

The Molokai tenants have security
fears of break-ins and lighting

KAUNAKAKAI, Molokai » A group of tenants has called for an increase in security measures and a new manager at a nonprofit Molokai senior housing project.

Several residents at Home Pumehana in Kaunakakai town said there is a lack of lighting and control of the entrances into the 85-unit facility, making tenants vulnerable to thefts and break-ins and fearful of walking outside their homes at night.

"Management in Pumehana has got to change," said Tom Burke, 73, a retired machinist.

Officials from the federal Housing and Urban Development agency are scheduled to meet with residents next Monday about their complaints.

Home Pumehana, located a couple of blocks mauka of the police station in Kaunakakai, is operated by the nonprofit Hale Mahaolu, the same organization that operates several senior facilities on Maui. Residents pay about 30 percent of their adjusted gross income for rent at the low- and moderate-income housing projects.

More than 20 residents have signed a petition calling for improvements in security.

Burke, who has lived at Home Pumehana since 1994, said he has had his mo-ped stolen twice by youths, and someone stole bags of potting soil from him and another resident.

Burke said his mo-ped was returned, but he is worried for himself and other residents, in light of a couple of sexual attacks on seniors on Maui.

Home Pumehana resident Jeanette Javillonar, 75, said someone cut her screen last month to try to get into her home.

Javillonar said management replaced the screen quickly, but she feels there is a need for more security.

Javillonar said she has lived at the facility for 29 years, and a side gate that once was secured at night now remains open.

She also has problems with management. "I'm looking for someone who's compassionate," Javillonar said.

Romaine Soares, 84, who lives with her husband, Richard, said she once found a drunken man outside her home, and police had to come to take him away.

Residents also said the daily office hours are too restrictive, sometimes open for only four hours in the morning, and while management has not limited access into the housing project, its office door is often locked during working hours for security reasons.

Hale Mahaolu Executive Director Roy Katsuda said he has told tenants that they should make a request if they want more lighting.

He said the hours of operation are no different from at other facilities and that crime is relatively low at Home Pumehana compared with facilities on Maui.

Katsuda said in the last 25 years, there has not been a burglary reported at the facility, but there were several cars stolen and later returned.

Katsuda and Grace Carlington, president of the tenants association, said residents were asked if they wanted to have the driveway entrance closed at night for security reasons, and the majority said they did not want it closed because there were too many emergencies.

"On the small island of Molokai, they are making it a big deal. I don't know what the big deal is," Carlington said.