Lawmakers expressed strong support today for redevelopment proposals aimed at rehabilitating public housing with little to no public money.

At a hearing at the Capitol, legislators heard from development companies that specialize in rehabilitating projects with tax credits and private investments.

The financing schemes address repairs at public housing projects and can also add new units to a project, which in some cases are set aside for market rate rentals.

"I find this discussion refreshing," said state Rep. Gene Ward, during the joint Senate and House hearing this morning. "It seems to hold a lot of promise."

Speakers included Douglas Bigley, president of Urban Housing Communities, a for-profit affordable housing developer that has had success with securing private funding for affordable properties in California.

"We're talking about public-private partnerships to solve the problems in public housing," Bigley said.

The discussion comes as the Hawai'i Public Housing Authority is facing an increasing backlog of repairs, more than 500 vacant units and a chronic funding shortfall. The authority oversees 83 housing developments across the state.