|
|
David Ige on Welfare & Poverty |
A: We must build homes that Hawaii's working families can afford--not luxury condominiums for out-of-state speculators. With average new home prices approaching $700,000, there needs to be leadership to increase the supply of housing at all price points while protecting Hawaii's natural beauty.
The construction of the Honolulu rail system provides the opportunity for Transit Oriented Development incorporating housing along its 21-mile route.
We should reduce the cost of food by increasing local food production. Currently, we import $3 billion in food. Yet over the past four years we've lost more than 2,100 acres of prime agricultural land without a plan for replacing it.
ABERCROMBIE: After years of neglect, our administration has worked hard to put the state back on the right track. While we have substantial obligations that will take many years to fully address, I am confident now that we are finally tackling the issue rather than kicking the can down the road. The Employer-Union Trust Fund (EUTF) has never been prefunded until my administration came into office.
IGE: Multiple causes of homelessness require multiple solutions. We need to increase the supply of low-cost rental housing for families at risk by increasing funds to the Rental Housing Trust Fund--which the Legislature did this session, support the Housing First initiative to provide emergency housing, and maintain support for our State homeless shelters and veterans outreach program.
