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Public housing Residents in Hawaii's public housing projects, frustrated by poor maintenance, substandard conditions and an unresponsive state housing bureaucracy, are quietly building an independent statewide coalition to represent their interests.
tenants form alliance
to improve conditions
The statewide group seeks
more clout when dealing with
the state bureaucracyBy Ian Lind
Star-BulletinThe group, known as Island Tenants on the Rise, has brought together a majority of the existing resident associations in housing projects stretching from Kekaha to Hilo since it was formed three years ago.
The group hopes to improve living conditions by giving residents in the state's 6,577 public housing units an independent voice to address day-to-day problems and participate in making housing policy.
"The more of us there is, the more likely they will have to listen," said Michael Rohrer, a Nanakuli Homes resident and Island Tenants activist.
"Everyone deserves a home where they are treated with respect," Island Tenants says in a brief mission statement. "Therefore, we, Island Tenants on the Rise, seek to make things pono by involving public housing residents in raising living conditions, esteem, sense of community and self-determination.""(Residents) don't want to be statistics or the problem," the group told state housing officials at a January meeting. "They want to be at the table and be part of the solution."
It's a goal that hits home with Monte Kalama, who spent the past few months chasing after repairs for her leaking roof at Kalihi's Puahala Homes.
"This is what I had to live with," Kalama said, pointing to the red stains that spread across the wall in her small kitchen, a constant reminder of leaks in the roof of the two story walk-up building.
When it rained, water ran down the walls of Kalama's kitchen and an adjacent pantry, damaging her woven lauhala mat, rusting appliances, and leaving the stale odor of mildew.
Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawaii rules assure residents of timely repairs, but Kalama and other tenants laugh when they are mentioned.
"They have rules and regulations and things like that, but it's just a piece of paper," Kalama said. "We read them -- but try to get the repairs and nobody's around and nobody wants to listen to you."
Kalama was lucky. Roofers finally showed up at the end of August to make the repairs, but only after she went beyond her project manager and started pestering state housing officials, the Department of Health, and anyone else who would listen.
Kalama heard about Island Tenants at a resident association picnic and immediately saw the benefits of the coalition.
"We all have the same kind of problems. We can unite and help each other make this a better place for all of us," Kalama said.
Island Tenants crossed a significant threshold during a July meeting called by the Housing and Community Development Corporation, the state agency that builds and manages public housing projects. Representatives from tenant associations at 22 projects voted overwhelmingly to designate Island Tenants as the "resident advisory board" to speak on their behalf.
The move positions Island Tenants to take advantage of a new federal law requiring state housing agencies to formally involve resident boards in their policy and planning processes.
Gov. Ben Cayetano's special assistant for housing, Ron Lim, later called the July session "extremely positive."
"I was surprised they were able to organize and accomplish so much in one day," said Lim, who is also one of nine directors of the Housing and Community Development Corp. "It seemed like the residents came together."
But the housing agency has not taken action on the recommendation that Island Tenants be named the resident advisory board.
Sharyn Miyashiro, acting executive director of the Housing and Community Development Corp., said authorization from the Legislature is needed before finally recognizing an advisory group.
In addition, Miyashiro said the process of recognizing tenant groups is proceeding slowly because of the need to assure that individual resident associations, and the Island Tenants coalition, comply with federally mandated election procedures.
So far, according to Miyashiro, Island Tenants has not met those requirements.
Housing board seat needed
The group's supporters respond that the agency is just dragging its feet, and any technical deficiencies could be easily met by working together.
The state already missed a key federal deadline when it failed to include a public housing resident on the housing agency board by October 31, 1999.
"It is a statutory requirement that the housing authority must have at least one resident on its board," said William Armstead, who led a team from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on a recent trip to Hawaii. But Armstead stopped short of saying the housing authority is not in compliance.
Gov. Ben Cayetano vetoed legislation this year that would have met the requirement by giving residents three board seats.
Cayetano said his veto was prompted by a memo from Moody's, a financial rating service, which suggested the state's bond rating might be threatened by a sudden change in the board's composition.
Despite the veto, Cayetano intends to name a public housing tenant to fill one of the existing board positions as soon as a resident advisory board is formally recognized and selects nominees, Lim said.
Island Tenants first asked for recognition as a statewide resident council in June 1998, records show, citing a law which requires housing agencies to recognize such a group as the voice of residents.
The HCDCH board acknowledged the group as an "interim" resident advisory board in October 1999, but only after giving the same designation to a second group created by the agency and made up of presidents of existing resident associations.
Although Island Tenants also was formed by resident association presidents, it has welcomed participation by nonresident supporters, including both private citizens and housing advocates.
Craig Castellanet, a Legal Aid attorney who has supported Island Tenants since the group's inception, called the involvement of nonresident supporters "a key piece of what's going on, and a key to creating an organization independent of the housing authority."
"Supporters can ask the hard questions when tenants can't speak up because they are afraid of being harassed," said Dahlia Asuega, Island Tenants president.
Miyashiro denied retaliation or harassment is a problem.
"Those kind of things are not part of the agency culture," Miyashiro said. "We've had resident participation for years, and that (retaliation) is not something that would be tolerated, if in fact it occurs."
But Island Tenants leaders said the agency has tried to undercut their efforts through repeated delays, vague or shifting requirements, unfulfilled promises, and an attempt to pit residents against each other in a "divide and conquer" strategy.
Jumping through hoops
"We think that as long as Island Tenants is not taken seriously or respected by (Housing and Community Development) staff, we will not be able to use our energies constructively," the group said in a March 15 letter to the housing agency board. "We should not be wasting our energies trying to jump over unnecessary hoops due to a basic distrust of residents."
The frustration with state housing officials is not new. Similar problems led leaders of five Oahu housing projects to form the Hawaii State Residents Advisory Council in the early 1990s.
"We talked to housing officials about problems, but afterwards we felt like nothing was going to happen, nothing got done," said Theresa Cummings, current president of the group, which still exists in a scaled-down form.
"So we kind of came together, and realized we have the same problems -- management problems, maintenance problems and security problems. We figured we could go to housing as a group and say, 'We're here from all over the island representing our projects and we want to know what you're going to do about it,' " Cummings said.
The Hawaii State Residents Advisory Council floundered and became inactive after a key leader dropped out, Cummings said.
But continuing complaints led to a new round of discussions among tenants in late 1996 or early 1997, this time aided by the Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group.
"It took off so fast it was astonishing," said alliance director Kathy Hasegawa. "They were ready. They were excited. We would just sit around the table every few weeks and talk about what a coalition would look like, and what the purposes would be."
In July 1997, presidents of active resident associations were invited to a meeting held at Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center, and Island Tenants on the Rise was born. Regular meetings between the new tenants organization and state housing officials began in October 1997.
"We really wanted to work with the state. We knew the problems, we had solutions, and we wanted to help," Asuega said. "Instead, they made us jump through all these invisible hoops."
"It's kind of tiring," said Michael Rohrer, referring to meetings with housing officials.
"You tell them about the issues, but they never really get addressed," Rohrer said. "You're always repeating yourself over and over again."
Push toward accountability
Island Tenants complains the state has failed to follow through on prior commitments, such as an agreement to develop a process for evaluating management companies that would consider comments by residents.
A March 30 written agreement in which Miyashiro, Lim, and Housing and Community Development Corp. board chairman Wesley Segawa pledged to work together with Island Tenants to create the advisory board, has already been breached by the agency, residents said.
Miyashiro, in response to a question from the Star-Bulletin, admitted that the housing agency has not kept minutes or other records documenting any of its three years of discussions with Island Tenants.
One result is that Island Tenants would like to see greater accountability for the state's housing bureaucracy, which they see as both inefficient and ineffective.
During the 2000 legislative session, the coalition supported a resolution calling for an audit of housing programs, but backed off under pressure from the governor's office and allowed the measure to die.
Island Tenants is now putting its emphasis on extending its base by helping tenants organize resident associations where they don't exist.
Although the group has the backing of the majority of existing associations, fewer than 30 of the state's 83 public housing projects currently have active associations.
Its organizing efforts, including door-to-door canvassing in public housing projects, will be aided by a $10,000 grant recently received from the Funding Exchange, a New York-based network of community foundations.
Island Tenants
on the RiseJuly 1997
Island Tenants on the Rise formed.October 1997
Regular monthly meetings begin with Sharon Yamada, then-executive director of Hawaii Housing Authority.May 1998
Island Tenants incorporates as nonprofit organization.June 1998
Island Tenants makes first request for recognition as a statewide resident council.July 1998
Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii (HCDCH) is formed through merger of Hawaii Housing Authority and the Housing Finance & Development Corp.October 1998
Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act passes Congress, requiring more participation by public housing residents in policy-making by state housing agencies.September 1999
State Housing Director Donald Lau writes letter saying Island Tenants' request for recognition "may" be premature.September 1999
Four members representing three resident associations withdraw from Island Tenants.October 1999
Housing agency board votes to give interim recognition to both Island Tenants and a new group led by those who withdrew from the coalition.January 2000
Island Tenants holds first official meeting as interim resident advisory board to comment on state's annual and five-year plans for housing programs.March 2000
Island Tenants goes to Legislature to request an audit of HCDCH.June 2000
Gov. Cayetano vetoes bill to appoint three public housing residents to the HCDCH board of directors.July 2000
Representatives of public housing resident associations vote to designate Island Tenants as sole resident advisory board for next two years. House Speaker Calvin Say and Rep. Michael Kahikina assist by counting the votes.
For information
To contact Island Tenants on the Rise, call Monique Ocampo at 668-8592.