contact info
e-mail: vantanabe@yahoo.com
PMB #290
4725 Bouganville Dr.
Honolulu, Hawaii 96818

"Affordable Housing"

We need to do something about the lack of "Affordable Housing" in Hawaii. Since none of our private developers are likely to drop their prices by 200 or 300 thousand dollars, the state will have to provide affordable housing for it's people. The only difference between a home built by a private developer and the state, is the profit the developer marks-up on the home. These homes will be built not for the greedy but for the needy. These homes are not for the homeless, that's a totally different issue. These homes will be for hard working families that just can't afford to pay $600,000 to $800,000 for a house. Many families today require both parents to work in order to pay their morgages, sometimes they may need two or more jobs. Having to work two or more jobs puts a added strain on any relationship, not to mention how much more difficult it is to have quality time with our families. Obviously many of our island families have made the adjustments and sacrifices in order to provide a beautiful home for their families. But if the cost of housing keeps going up coupled with the shortage of really good jobs it will be almost impossible for our children to own a home. That's why we need to do something now, so as governor I would set aside $50 million created from the "Ohana Lottery" to build 100 affordable homes for the people of Hawaii each year. Even if it means building them ourselves. If the state succeeds in providing quality homes at an affordable price, more and more people will look to buying a home built by the state versus a privately built home. This will force the private developers to bring their prices down just to be competitive.

Aloha and Mahalo

Van K. Tanabe