Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 3, 1 March 1987 — Lanakila Families Like New Loeaiion [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Lanakila Families Like New Loeaiion

The last of the 28 people left homeless by the closing of the old Lanakila Hotel at 833 N. School St. moved into temporary quarters Jan. 31 at the abandoned Iwilei fire station. Of the 28 people, 19 are Hawaiians or part Hawaiians and the other nine are the Samoan families of Asoono Talia and her three children and Loto Faa-lafua andher four children. Norma Sanay, a native Hawaiian who served as spokesperson in the eviction battle, moved with her family to Kuhio Park Terrace. She was on hand at noon Jan. 31 to conduct a brief program marking the relocation. Ilima Kaneakua has since repiaced Sanay as spokesperson for the Iwilei families. She recently appeared before the Housing and Community Development eommittee at the legislature to present testimony on needed low rental housing. Kaneakua said everyone seems happy with the old fire station and that things were going along smoothly. She thanked the Rev. Claude DuTeil of the Institute of Human Services for donations of food, appliances and beds. The fire station, whieh was being used for storage of training equipment, was quickly converted into cubicles to house the families. Arrangements for its conversion were made by City and County of Honoluiu Mayor Frank F. Fasi. Fasi, along with the governor, city and state agencies and the Affordable Housing Allianee, found other places for most of the other residents. The AHA is a eoalihon of 50 churches and community groups. Among county officials on hand for the brief program were Managing Director Jeremy Harris, representing the mayor; Vicky Bunye, director of the Office of Human Resources; Councilman Gary Gill who was on top of the situation all the way ; AHA spokesman Donald Hanson; Sister Rosita Aranita of the Catholic Church; and others. The Hawaii Eeumenieal Housing Corp., a non-profit housing and development arm born out of the allianee, will manage the Iwilei shelter and others the allianee hopes to establish on Oahu and the neighbor islands. Those who spoke hailed the solution as a triumph of cooperative effort with Councilman Gill especially noting that "it was an inspiration to me the way you stuck together. You stood tough and together for your rights to have something over your heads."

When the new residents handed out leis, however, the loudest applause clearly went to Sister Rosita who was on hand early that morning to see to final details and to greet the families so that they may be assigned to their respective cubicles. Rentals are $200 a month for families and $100 for singles. There is a large eommon kitchen and adequate bathroom facilities. There are house rules, including policing regulations and responsibilities. Willowdene Momi Kahala , single parent of two small children, expressed delight over her new 8xl0-foot plywood cubicle whieh she described as "just right. It beats sleeping on the beach." Kahala did not enjoy her new surroundings too long because she soon afterwards located a rental unit in the Punchbowl area. Meanwhile, the allianee has eome up with its 1987 legislative package and will be asking state lawmakers to heip provide for emergency shelters, self-help housing projects, permanent rental housing and redefining and standardizing criteria used to determine low and moderate ineome. The Iwilei people may eventually move to more permanent quarters on state property at 805 Kokea St. where the corporation has obtained a one dollar a year lease. There are three buildings whieh need to have work done. It is hoped this move ean be made during the summer.

Sister Rosita