Our housing crisis is rooted in decades of housing and land use policies that have made Hawai’i a hub for a global real estate market that is disconnected from the economic realities of local families. To reclaim housing for local people, we need a ground-up, comprehensive housing policy agenda that curbs speculation, prevents displacement, and strengthens protections for the nearly half of all Hawaii households who rent. 

 

Tina earned her PhD researching and writing about Hawai’i’s housing crisis. She has been a vocal advocate for policies that demand accountability from developers, and firmly believes that we cannot continue to give away public monies, land, and resources for housing that is out of reach for local families. In District 20, neighborhoods like Kaimukī and Kapahulu have felt the impacts of speculative investment, as working families are priced out by monster home developers and out-of-state investors. To address these issues, we need policies that target their benefits toward local owners and residents through anti-rent gouging legislation, community ownership models, vacancy taxes, deed-restriction programs, and more.

 

You can read more about Tina’s housing advocacy in this 2023 Civil Beat article, “Hawai’i Needs A New Approach To Housing”. Plus, watch this recent PBS Insights episode on state housing proposals to learn more about Tina’s thoughts on our housing crisis.