Meeting Time: August 18, 2022 at 1:30pm HST
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Agenda Item

AH-14(7) Direct Referral COMPREHENSIVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN: EXPANDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUNDING (AH-14(7))

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    AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE Thursday August 18 2022, 1:30 p.m.

    Testimony in support of AH-14(6), AH-4(5), AH31 Bill 103, AH14(7).
    Good afternoon affordable housing committee members, My name is David Dorn and I am here to testify in support of these affordable housing guideline improvements.
    These measures before you today will greatly improve the neediest family's chances of achieving home-ownership. These measures help make affordable housing prices tied to wages and not to market values. And will give the truly needy Maui families the chance to own a home in our over-inflated housing market. These measures also create a fair system that will help more people actually achieve home ownership. Supporting home ownership is essential for keeping our long-time residents here in the islands, and will help to reduce one of the most fundamental economic pressures that force many families to move to the mainland.
    I support Bill 103 relating to Workforce housing deed restrictions and resale because this is one of the most critical steps that we can take. These deed restrictions will allow us to build up our inventory of affordable homes. So we can make enough affordable homes available for all those who need them. This also helps us to direct our affordable homes into the hands of those who truly need housing and intend to live in it long-term. It might also dissuade the people motivated by investing and flipping these homes, which has been the problem with affordable housing until now. Creating these “affordable-in-perpetuity” deed restrictions also gives our community a greater incentive to invest in these programs because we will realize the benefits long-term.
    I also support expanding the use of the affordable housing fund so that it can be better utilized in flexible and creative ways to better incentivize workforce home-building and home-buying in more types of situations.
    I believe that supporting these Affordable Housing measures is one of the best ways that we can support our community in a lasting and meaningful way.
    Mahalo,
    David Dorn