|
Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Public housing complaints
are confidentialQuestion: We, who reside at a senior citizen apartment building, would like to know how one makes an official complaint against the residential manager and remain anonymous to avoid retaliation. We have complaints about security, rat problems, the emergency backup system during power failures, discrimination and favoritism.
Answer: We assume your are referring to a public housing complex, in which case you can direct your complaints to Owen McCabe, the complaints liaison for the state Department of Human Services.
That department oversees the Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawaii, which, in turn, oversees public housing programs in the state.
You can call McCabe at 586-4994 or write to him c/o Department of Human Services, Liliuokalani Building, 1390 Miller St., Honolulu, HI 96813.
Everything will be kept confidential, he said.
"There are things we are currently working on in the housing units from complaints people have previously reported to us," McCabe said.
The complaints cover a broad range, from a neighbor's threats to failure by management to properly act on concerns to infringement on rights by a housing association, he said.
McCabe takes in complaints, then directs them to others to check out. "Of course, they keep it confidential as well," he said.
It doesn't appear to be a problem in your case, but McCabe said if there are threats or things of that nature involved, call 911 for a more immediate response.
Q: I wrote to you a few months ago about the sewer reconstruction taking place along Kamehameha Highway in Mililani. They said the completion date would be March. It is now June and work is still not completed, and some days there is nobody there doing anything, yet it is obvious that work is not completed. Could you please find out what is taking so long?
A: The basic work for the $950,000 Kamehameha Trunk Sewer Reconstruction Project is completed, but there's still some repair work and cleaning up to do.
The estimated completion date is now said to be the end of July. That's about a year later than initially targeted.
"The 'lining' for the project is completed, and some manholes still need to be rehabilitated," said Vicki Borges, executive assistant to Mayor Jeremy Harris.
The lining portion of the project -- involving large black cylinders -- was the part that residents had been complaining about, she noted.
Work on the manholes should not create a problem for residents since much of the work will be down inside the manholes, Borges said.
Meanwhile, "The bypass lines for the lining work are being dismantled, and the trench across Kamehameha Highway will be restored, along with the repair of some walls," she said.
The landscaping along Kamehameha Highway also will be restored.
Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawaii
www.hcdch.state.hi.usState Department of Human Services
www.state.hi.us/dhs
|
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
E-mail to kokualine@starbulletin.com