The current housing policy in Hawaii and most of the theoretical literature around the globe is grounded on assumptions that home ownership provides certain distinctive characteristics such as security, independence and wealth ( Fernández-Villaverde & Ohanian, 2018). However, the two give an empirical emphasis on unemployment as a corrective to the assumptions. Currently, unemployment and low wages have affected the housing policy in Hawaii greatly. The number of home owners in the labor market is not proportional to the currently employed population. Widespread unemployment, low wages, and underemployment in Hawaii influence the housing policy in a considerable number of ways. Currently, the government of Hawaii together with the legislature has created a program that focuses on the availability and delivery of housing. The program ensures delivery of standard housing and the improvement of urban planning (Nguyen, 2015). More generally, the government is creating living spaces or buildings collectively sheltering the people living within Hawaii. The government movement serves as the cheapest mode of house ownership (Moore, 2019). However, the success of the policy is blocked by underemployment, low wages, and unemployment. Unemployment, underemployment, and low wages have led to the segregation of living estates depending on the level of income. The intensity of homelessness is determined by the economic muscle of an individual ( Erdmann, Furth & Hamilton, 2019). For instance, the unemployed are not on the same standard as individuals subjected to low wages. The affordability ladder narrows down to the unemployed individuals who cannot raise any amount to pay for houses. In this case, unemployment, underemployment and low wages has undermined the housing policy based on the ability to afford the houses. Normally, home-related utilities are not delivered without a fee from the citizens. The unemployed, underemployed and the low wage earners are not able to afford the money required for utilities. As a result, the policy is unable to push the project forward due to lack of enough funds.
The government usually sets aside some revenue during every financial year to fund the policy. At the same time, the government also depends on money paid by all occupants in installments. The exercise of gradual payment is not tough to financially stable citizens ( Abdul-Aziz, Tah & Olanrewaju, 2017 ). However, unstable citizens including the unemployed, underemployed, and low-wage individuals find it hard to adhere to the regular payments. Failure to honor the payments prevents the policy from replication in other areas. In addition, the housing policy is not able to finance other services related to maintenance and empowerment. The income rate of the unemployed, underemployed, and low waged individuals does not match the living standards targeted by the housing policy in Hawaii. Therefore, the housing policy faces the dilemma of segregating citizens depending on their financial status ( Manaf, Yuzal, & Fisher, 2016). The act of segregating individuals based on their financial standards is discriminatory and unethical. Therefore, the housing policy encounters slow progress due to the moral complexities related to inequality. Lastly, the policy faces the challenge of managing and maintaining the environment occupied by unemployed individuals due to low funds.
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Conclusion
It is evident from the foregoing that Hawaii faces a considerable housing crisis. The government is unable to provide affordable housing for its citizens, particularly those who are unemployed, underemployed or earning low wages. This problem poses a major challenge to the government since the majority of the citizens fall within these groups. Even though the government has attempted to provide interventions to arrest this problem, the policies put in place have not effectively addressed the crisis. Not all individuals have been able to raise the money required to access housing projects. Also, the individuals who have managed to access the houses still struggle with regulatory payments meant to finance various utilities and maintenance activities. As a result, the government is forced to assign additional funds to cater for such expenses. This condition adversely affects any future prospects of the housing project. The government must therefore rethink and redesign the housing policies in partnership with all stakeholders including the private sector, non-profit organizations, and the citizens.
References
Abdul-Aziz, A. R., Tah, J. H. M., & Olanrewaju, A. L. (2017). The nexus between government and private developers in Malaysia’s housing sector. In Trends and Issues in Housing in Asia (pp. 137-159). Routledge India.
Erdmann, K., Furth, S., & Hamilton, E. (2019). The Link Between Local Zoning Policy and Housing Affordability in America’s Cities.
Fernández-Villaverde, J., & Ohanian, L. (2018). Housing Policy Reform. Economic Policy Challenges Facing California’s Next Governor, 15-18.
Manaf, A., Yuzal, H., & Fisher, M. (2016). Inclusive approach: a perspective towards more equitable housing provision? Housing, Care and Support, 19(3/4), 81-92.
Moore, C. D. (2019). Hawaii: Priced Out of Paradise. California Journal of Politics and Policy, 11(1).
Nguyen, M. T. (2015). The intersection of immigration and housing policies: Implications for the US housing market and economy. Housing Policy Debate, 25(4), 796-798.
