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There is much political talk about the construction of "affordable housing" for the residents of Maui County.
Talk includes giving subsidies to developers to build homes that our local people would not pay more than 30 percent of their monthly income for rent or a mortgage.
Can local or state governments not afford to address the housing crisis many of us face every day?
Corporate interests are buying apartment buildings, completing renovations and raising rental rates beyond the financial means of those renting those apartment units.
We have workers living in their cars, some with children, because they cannot afford the cost of housing.
With this backdrop, political leaders seem to be saying that we must roll away most county and state requirements and I am concerned this rollback may include laws that protect our environment and cultural sites.
The needs of the local person must be considered first and foremost. Homes should be developed as part of a decent, safe and walkable community with folks of different income levels living within the same development.
All new housing developments must be first vetted in the communities where the development is being proposed.
Our local and state government must be the driver (land, infrastructure and money) for these housing developments and the homes developed with government assistance should be kept affordable for a substantial period of time.
With tax dollars being used to develop "affordable housing," we must have accountability and transparency in all governmental actions to end our housing crisis.
Stan Franco
Haiku