Page 6 - MidWeek Central - July 20, 2022

6
JULY 20, 2022
Last month, our commu- nity came together for a town hall on house- lessness, hosted by Achieve Zero, with support from my office. Residents came from Wahiawā, Whitmore Village, Launani Valley, Waialua and Mililani to think through how we can respond to the grow- ing crisis of displacement.
We heard from homeown- ers who wanted to feel safe in their neighborhoods while also respecting the dignity of houseless individuals. We heard from faith-based groups that were eager to access re- sources that could help them better serve houseless folks. We heard from aunties and uncles who spend their week- ends and evenings distribut- ing food to their houseless neighbors and want to see our government take meaningful measures to prevent house- lessness before it occurs. We even heard from a military service member who rents in Wahiawā and spoke openly about how basic allowances for housing and cost of liv- ing allowances work to price local tenants out of the rental market.
The conversation truly felt community driven, in part be- cause different forms of hous- ing insecurity and instability impact so much of our com- munity. Housing insecurity can look like couchsurfing at a relative’s house, overcrowd- ing in a multigenerational home, struggling to pay your rent or mortgage, or sleeping on the streets. Understanding this, our working class com- munity refused to individual-
ize the problem, and instead, forced a conversation about systemic issues such as prop- erty speculation, corporate de- velopment and the military’s impact on our housing mar- ket. Our service providers are working tirelessly to develop individualized services and outreach that addresses the unique needs of each person experiencing houselessness. But our community made it clear that we also need broad-reaching, systemic change to address this crisis.
Residents from Wahiawā, Whitmore Village, Launani Valley, Waialua and Mililani gather for a recent town hall on houselessness. PHOTO COURTESY THE OFFICE OF STATE REP. AMY PERRUSO
person in need of resources. Often, conversations around Hawaiʻi’s houseless- ness epidemic lack empathy and compassion. That’s why I left this town hall feeling so proud of our community. The common thread in this hourslong discussion was that we cannot continue to treat our houseless neigh- bors as the “other.” In fact, Hawaiʻi’s current economic reality means that the major- ity of our community is just a couple of paychecks away from housing insecurity. Ad- dressing deep inequalities will help us shift our housing
market so that we all enjoy a greater sense of safety and stability. That means that we have to work together to en- sure that housing is treated as a human right for all, not as a privilege for the few. Over the coming months, we aim to work closely with service pro- viders, the state and the city, to develop a regional plan to ad- dress houselessness in Central and North Oʻahu.
Contact state Rep. Amy Perru- so (D-46 Wahiawā, Whitmore Village, Launani Valley) at 808-586-6700 or repperru- so@capitol.hawaii.gov.
STATE REP. AMY PERRUSO
Ensure That Housing Is Treated As A Human Right
ing some form of rent regula- tion to put a cap on skyrock- eting housing costs; working with the military to drastically decrease the number of ser- vice members renting hous- ing off-base; engaging faith-
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