Elderly housing gets state's attention

By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer

State housing officials are expanding their usual periodic survey of Hawai'i housing needs to pay special attention to the needs of the elderly, they said yesterday.

"This is the first time we are trying to get a better handle on the needs for affordable elderly housing, and what kind of support services the elderly need to live independently," said Janice Takahashi, chief planner for the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii.

Surveyors will be making random telephone calls late this month to attempt to measure the state's housing needs, according to Acting Director Bob Hall."This is the third major study to be conducted," following similar surveys in 1992 and 1997, Hall said .

SMS Research workers will ask questions designed to collect information on housing needs, conditions and costs, and about the people who occupy Ha-wai'i's houses and apartments.

As part of the survey, Hall said, "We will obtain information on elderly housing supply and demand, the demand for support services for the elderly, and the number of households that are at risk of becoming homeless."

Officials recently reported that homelessness on O'ahu has surged on the Wai'anae Coast as homeless people migrate westward after the city removed them from Ala Moana Beach Park.

According to state figures, there are about 13,000 homeless people in Hawai'i, with more than 7,000 of them on O'ahu.

The survey is part of a larger housing study of inventory, rental rates and models to forecast demand.

The survey is being coordinated with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, State Executive Office on Aging, the four counties, and the Hawaii Community Reinvestment Corporation.

Reach Walter Wright at wwright@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8054.