HANAPEPE — Nearly 19 million households across the U.S. are spending at least half of their income on a place to live, often forgoing basic necessities such as food and health care to make ends meet.
On Kauai, 41% of households are living in unaffordable housing situations. The stability that housing should bring continues to remain out of reach for many people, according to a press release.
On Wednesday, Kauai Habitat for Humanity joined Habitat organizations across the country to launch a new national advocacy campaign aimed at improving home affordability for 10 million people in the U.S. over the next five years.
“The large number of families that need Habitat and the growing need is a constant reminder that our work is important,” stated Kauai Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Stephen Spears, “and that we must continue to look at creative ways to address our affordable-housing problem. It is important to keep that progress going.”
Marking significant growth in Habitat’s commitment to ensuring that everyone has a safe and decent place to call home, the Cost of Home campaign seeks to identify and improve policies and systems through coordinated advocacy efforts at the local, state and federal levels.
Cost of Home focuses on improving housing affordability across the housing continuum in four specific policy areas: increasing supply and preservation of affordable homes, equitably increasing access to credit, optimizing land use for affordable homes, and ensuring access to and development of communities of opportunity.
Kauai Habitat for Humanity already has taken several steps toward these goals. The organization has pledged to increase the production of affordable housing to 30 homes per year.
More details about Habitat’s Cost of Home policy platform and campaign activation are available at habitat.org/costofhome. For more information or to speak to Kauai Habitat for Humanity about the campaign, contact Milani Pimental at milani@kauaihabitat.org or 335-0296.
Source: The Garden Island
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