Hawaii Housing News

Across the network, housing coverage this week centers on both long-term supply efforts and immediate affordability pressures. On Maui, the biggest development story is the $4B Mākena project, where a plan for 652 market-rate and affordable homes is still moving ahead after developers cut the project size by 27% in response to public pushback. Maui coverage also points to broader policy and organizational work around housing access: US Sen. Brian Schatz and local leaders discussed expanding housing access for Native Hawaiians, while Catholic Charities Housing Development Corporation added a new Housing Development Director, signaling continued institutional focus on building and managing housing efforts.

On Kauaʻi, the emphasis is on access to assistance programs. The County of Kauaʻi Housing Agency will open its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list next week, giving eligible households another chance to enter the rental assistance pipeline. Separately, homeowners will be able to apply for the second round of the Residential Cesspool Conversion Grant Program, a related but distinct housing-adjacent program that can affect property owners’ costs and compliance.

Big Island reporting shows the strain that housing and utility instability can place on residents. In Hilo, the Salvation Army stepped in to provide meals for apartment complex residents still without power after a prolonged outage, underscoring how housing issues can quickly become basic-needs emergencies. Overall, the network’s housing stories point to a mix of development, public assistance, and community response, with Maui focused on new projects and Native Hawaiian access, Kauaʻi on voucher and grant openings, and the Big Island on the immediate impacts of disrupted living conditions.