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The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 6:07 p.m., Tuesday, November 27, 2007

State and city to renovate 2 public housing projects

Advertiser Staff

The city and state will join to help renovate two longtime public housing projects.

The City Council adopted Resolution No. 07-331, authorizing the City Department of Community Services to enter into an agreement with the Hawai'i Public Housing Authority to allow participants in two City programs to help renovate State public housing units.

Under the arrangement, students in the city's Youth Services and YouthBuild programs help renovate vacant units in HPHA's public housing projects, including Mayor Wright Homes and Kalihi Valley Homes.

The Youth Services and YouthBuild programs provide low income youth, high school dropouts, and youth offenders, ages 16 to 24, with the opportunity to achieve educational, employment and personal goals through course work and activities.

In addition to doing structural repair and painting, the students help with grounds cleaning, landscaping, parking lot striping, and graffiti paint-out.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann said, "This is a stellar example of a great partnership where the city and state work together to transform dilapidated facilities into much needed homes for our families."

City community services director Deborah Kim Morikawa said: "A critical mission of both these programs is to instill in our youth the importance of community service. Since 2005, participants have helped to repair approximately 25 public housing units."

She said they also have been involved with cleaning up Kawai Nui Marsh and various city parks facilities, as well as participating in islandwide graffiti paint-outs.