More housing for seniors ahead in Kohala
Known as the Ainakea Senior Residences, the proposed elderly housing development north and adjacent to the existing 24-unit Ainakea Elderly Apartments, could be open by March 2009 if all goes as planned.
The project has already passed major environmental permitting hurdles and has received a finding of no significant impact by the county's Office of Housing and Community Development.
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The proposed $7.4 million project is meant to provide housing for people 63 and older with very low incomes -- defined as less than 60 percent of the median income. In order to qualify for a unit, a single person must have an income no higher than $21,800 and a couple a combined income of no more than $24,900.
Each of the units will have about 500 square feet of living space, with one unit reserved for a resident manager. The project will also include 30 parking stalls, a laundry, mail boxes, patio, meeting room and community garden. It will be designed with the needs of senior residents in mind and will be in compliance with ADA and Fair Housing accessibility requirements. A total of four of the units will be built to wheelchair-accessible standards.
While the management does not provide any extra services, organizations such as the Hawaii County Economic Opportunities Council and the Center for Independent Living have the resources to provide meals, transportation and services for their clients.
Keith Kato, executive director of the Hawaii Island Community Development Corporation, said demand for such units seems to be great on the Big Island. The corporation is also responsible for the development of the 96-unit Hualalai Elderly Housing in Kailua-Kona, as well as a 32-unit project in Hilo and a 30-unit complex in Hilo.
Those interested in applying for a unit should watch for advertisements in the newspaper or keep an eye on the construction site. "We'll put up a sign with contact information," Kato said. "But right now, we're taking applications."
Financing will come from a number of sources, significantly the state's Rental Housing Trust Fund, which is administered by the Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism, and the Housing and Urban Development's Home Investment Program.
Kato said there are no immediate plans for any future elderly housing projects in other parts of Hawaii but said they would like to build more as resources become available. "We're always looking," he said.
The existing Ainakea Elderly Apartments were built by a not-for-profit entity known as Kohala Union Housing Corporation and are managed by Tanaka Realty of Honolulu. It was formerly managed by the Big Island Housing Foundation.
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