Amid high need, affordable housing project for seniors set to open in urban core

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hale Makana O Mo’ili’ili, a five-story affordable housing complex for seniors, is set to open this month and officials hope to quickly fill all available apartments given high need.

The complex has about 100 units, which include 80 studios and 24 one-bedroom apartments

Monthly rental prices for studios range from $550 to $1,160, depending on your income. A one-bedroom ranges from around $600 to $1250.

Project Manager Micah Witty-Oakland says if you make more than about $60,000 a year and will be the only person living in the room, you probably won’t qualify.

He’s hoping to get the complex fully leased out in three months.

“Things might be a little slow but we expect a push once we get that first move in,” said Witty-Oakland. “In Hawaii, word of mouth is kind of the biggest way things travel.”

Craig Gima, of AARP Hawaii, says sometimes reaching seniors who are eligible can be challenging.

“There’s two problems. One is getting the information to the kupuna who need it and could qualify because it’s not easy to reach them and two, once they get that information how do they qualify?” Gima said.

AARP Hawaii says there can also be a language barrier.

“Groups that we see that are harder to reach are kupuna who don’t speak English as their first language. There’s a lot of them in Hawaii. A lot of immigrants in Hawaii” said Gima.

Witty-Oakland said their marketing budget is limited because it’s a 100% affordable housing project.

Applications are now being accepted here.

You can also call 808-735-9099, extension 1 or go to the website here.

You can also email moiliili@mdihawaii.com

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