State study
to inventory
isle housing

The information will be
used to forecast demand

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By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com

The state Housing and Community Development Corp. will conduct a statewide study to provide updated information on Hawaii's housing inventory, rental rates and create a model to forecast housing demands.

The survey, which will be conducted by telephone later this month, was last conducted in 1997 and in 1992.

The results are expected to be tallied and report completed by July, said Janice Takahashi, the corporation's chief planning officer.

Takahashi said the survey will also add two new measures this time: It will examine the need for housing and support services for the elderly and the extent to which households are at risk of becoming homeless.

"An emphasis on the elderly is a new part of this study. In the past we couldn't afford to fund it. But now we can't afford not to fund it. So we'll be looking at the need for affordable rentals and what kind of support the elderly need to stay independent," she said.

Another new emphasis for the survey will be on those at risk of becoming homeless, Takahashi said.

"We are trying to find out how many people are really at risk of becoming homeless," she said.

Takahashi said major studies such as the one about to be conducted happen every 5 years.

In 1992, the survey found the average monthly mortgage payment for a single family home in Honolulu was $821. By 1997 the figure had increased to $1,400.

Housing and Community Development Corp.