Medical-Legal Partnership Hawaiʻi

04/25/2025

The bill's supporters say one state Senator is responsible for the holdup

04/24/2025

Please plan to see our Oceans of Reflection traveling mural at Bess Press all week this week as part of our Owning the Narrative: A Micronesian Storytelling Project in partnership with Bess Press

The showcase ends with a community storytelling workshop open to all. Seating is limited. Please sign up here.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/workshop-owning-the-narrative-a-micronesian-storytelling-project-tickets-1320719390249?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Micronesian story is a part of Hawai'i's story. We hope that you, your family, friends, and colleagues can join us in this space. The project will also be traveling to the Celebrate Micronesia Festival on May 3 at the Bishop Museum.

04/02/2025

MLP Hawai'i is honored to work alongside these brilliant community leaders of KPT housing!! Their voices and presence at FIVE legislative hearings won the day, and HB 1325 is one step closer to ensuring a meaningful right to return for residents facing redevelopment. They are inspiring beyond measure!

03/20/2025

Get your own COFA CAN Know Your Rights red cards in person today through this weekend, or share these resources online!

03/19/2025

So proud of these tenants for speaking up!

HB1325 HD4 passed HOU/CPN Committee today and now requires all three components to protect our communities: 1. Relocation Assistance, 2. Right to Return and 3. Enforcement and Accountability.

Mahalo to all the Senators for asking the right questions and listening to the tenants!

Aloha families & friends,

We won’t be sign waving this week as we’ll be working with the remaining families of phase 1. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to send a message to this account. On another note, families were able to share their experience on why they support bill HB1325 at the State Capitol.

Mahalo!

02/27/2025

Mahalo for listening to the Keeping People Together tenants!!!

"Residents say they have tried to draw attention to their grievances. Besides meeting several times with representatives from the housing authority, Michaels and Seneca, they raised concerns at housing authority board meetings. They also reached out to the governor, whose office directed them to the project’s informational website.

They have held rush hour protests every Thursday on North School Street. Over the last month, they also have traveled to the Capitol to testify in support of a bill, House Bill 1325, to strengthen laws governing what affordable housing developers must provide displaced residents, including an added requirement to “track and maintain communication” with those tenants."

Kūhiō Park Terrace residents have been left angry and bewildered as Hawaiʻi Public Housing Authority moves to relocate them so their homes can be torn down.

02/12/2025

Mahalo, Kinisou, Fa'afetai to Representative Scot Matayoshi for listening to the Keeping People Together tenant testimony and passing out HB1325 HD1 yesterday with our amendment! Special thanks to Tina Grandinetti for sponsoring the bill! And thanks to all our friends and supporters for all your testimony. On to the next hearing with Judiciary.

01/30/2025

Mahalo nui, Kinisou, and Fa'afetai to Housing Committee Chair Representative Luke Evslin, and bill sponsor Tina Grandinetti for listening to the Keeping People Together and the Kalihi Community and passing out HB1325!

Together we can make sure no one has to go through what the KPT low-rise folks are dealing with and we require developers to put our local community first!

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1325&year=2025

Follow us to find out how you can help us get this bill heard in CPC and one step closer to becoming law!

Thanks to 'i Workers Center and Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice for their testimony in support

01/28/2025

Please support the residents of the KPT Low-Rise who are being "relocated" due to redevelopment, being sent to substandard and inaccessible units, and facing no meaningful right to return. And still, they are working tirelessly to support OTHER communities who will be impacted by redevelopment next. Join their efforts below!!
https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1325&year=2025

🚨PLEASE TAKE ACTION & SHARE🚨
🗣️ACTION ALERT:
Bill Hearing to Support Local Tenants

Wednesday, January 29, 2025; 9:15am,
Room 430; Hawai’i State Capitol Building

Please testify in Support of HB1325 at the hearing on 1/29, to ensure low income tenants are not displaced by new ‘affordable housing’ construction.

HB1325 changes the law to ensure that developers who use government programs and funds to build new housing do not permanently displace local folks with their new construction. HB1325 makes clear that tenants displaced by a new development project must be offered relocation assistance and counseling for the entire time they are displaced, and offered a right to return to the project upon completion.

You can join the fight three ways!

1. Please show up in person, Wednesday, January 29, 2025; 9:15am, Room 430; Hawai’i State Capitol Building. Testify in SUPPORT of HB1325
2. Register to testify Via Videoconference in support
3. Submit online written testimony in support of HB1325!

The bill fixes problems we are seeing in Kalihi currently, as KPT low-rise tenants are not getting the assistance they were promised, and 60 families representing more than 100 people have faced struggles, dislocation, and difficulties.

Sample Testimony/Talking Points:

I STRONGLY SUPPORT HB1325 to protect our local families.

· We need this bill to make sure local folks who have lived in an area for generations are not being displaced to make way for ‘new affordable housing’ development.

· We need this law change to ensure all tenants get comprehensive relocation assistance and the ability to move back to their community. KPT low-rise tenants want to make sure no one in Mayor Wright or other redevelopment projects face the same struggles they are having. KPT low-rise residents have asked for the following to be explicitly required by law:
a. The right to return to the project, as promised by the developer when they were approved for LIHTC and RHRF subsidies from HHFDC.
b. Individualized relocation counseling, which provides assistance locating and leasing up in comparable housing and follows tenants for the life of the redevelopment project. Unlike promises made to received HHFDC funding, the developer has contracted a company from Los Angeles to only assist tenants during move out, and left tenants with no further support.

· We need this law change to make clear that developers that receive government benefits -- including tax breaks, loans, subsidies and relaxed zoning, and breaks from permitting and fees -- must give back to our community and not displace local residents then offer the newly constructed units to others.

· Requiring developers to offer the right to return to our local community displaced by development projects means we are making sure any proposed supposed affordable housing project serves those most in need in our local community who have often lived in the area for generations.

· These protections will assist us in making sure new redevelopments in places affected by disaster do not permanently displace folks.

11/28/2024

We're so grateful to our partners at Kapi'olani Medical Center for this celebration of our new Medical-Legal Partnership site together! Also thanks to UH News for sharing our story: https://www.hawaii.edu/.../11/26/legal-medical-partnership/
Please visit us (https://law.hawaii.edu/academics/medical-legal-partnership/) and support our work at: https://giving.uhfoundation.org/funds/12593704

08/05/2024

UPDATE: The entire waitlist that was scheduled to open August-September 2024 is CLOSED until further notice. HPHA servers and systems crashed which resulted in the decision to cancel and close the waitlist. According to HPHA, all the individuals that applied the past few days their applications will be cancelled to ensure fairness and equality for everyone who was not able to apply.
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HPHA will open waiting lists, with each are of the island open for 7 days. The HPHA will use a lottery to select which applicants will go on the list, with a preference for applicants fleeing domestic violence or those who are homeless or housing insecure.
https://hpha.hawaii.gov/how-to-apply

For Ka‘ahumanu Homes, Kalakaua Homes, Kalihi Valley Homes, Kamehameha Homes, Kuhio Homes, Mayor Wright Homes, Palolo Valley Homes, Pu‘uwai Momi, Salt Lake Apartments, and Spencer House:
Waitlist opening for 7 days from 8:00am on Monday, August 5, 2024, through 4:00pm on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
Accepting online applications from eligible applicants for bedroom sizes: 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, 4-bedroom, or 5-bedroom.

For the Leeward (Hale Laulima, Kau‘iokalani, Maili I & II, Nanakuli Homes, Waimaha-Sunflower, and Waipahu I & II):
Waitlist opening for 7 days from 8:00am on Monday, August 12, 2024, through 4:00pm on Sunday, August 18, 2024.
Accepting online applications from eligible applicants for bedroom sizes: 2-bedroom or 3-bedroom.

For Punchbowl Homes, Kalanihuia, Makamae, Makua Ali‘i, Paoakalani, and Pumehana:
Waitlist opening for 7 days from 8:00 am on Monday, August 19, 2024, through 4:00pm on Sunday, August 25, 2024.
Accepting online applications from eligibl, e applicants who are also at least 62 years old or a person with a disability and meet the following bedroom sizes: studio (1 person), 1-bedroom, or 2-bedroom.

For the Central (Kupuna Home O‘Waialua):
Waitlist opening for 7 days from 8:00 am on Monday, August 26, 2024, through 4:00pm on Sunday, September 1, 2024.
Accepting online applications from eligible applicants who are also at least 62 years old or a person with a disability and meet the following bedroom size: studio (1 person)

Applications can only be submitted online here:
Complete the pre-application at https://hpha.myhousing.com/?abandon=False

If you need assistance with the application process, please call (808) 832-5961. Devices such as mobile phones and tablets with internet access may be used, however, not all operating systems support this application. No applications will be accepted at the HPHA’s office.
Organizations that may be able to assist with the application process are:

We Are Oceania We Are Oceania
720 North King Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 913-1364
[email protected]

Catholic Charities Catholic Charities Hawaii
1822 Keeaumoku St, Honolulu, HI 96822
(808) 527-4777
[email protected]

Parents and Children Together (PACT) Parents And Children Together
1485 Linapuni St., Honolulu, HI 96819
(808) 841-6177
[email protected]

Helping Hands Hawaii Helping Hands Hawaii
2100 N Nimitz Hwy, Honolulu, HI 96819
(808) 536-7234
[email protected]

Honolulu Community Action Program (HCAP) Honolulu Community Action Program, Inc.
1132 Bishop St. Suite 100, Honolulu, HI 96813 ·
(808) 521-4531
[email protected]

Applicants who require a reasonable accommodation may call (808) 832-5961 or TTY/TDD: (808) 743-4594 for assistance with a reasonable accommodation or email [email protected].