The state is applying for a federal grant worth nearly $10 million to help construct thousands of new affordable homes in Hawaiʻi.
The grant would come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing Program.
It could assist with the production of about 11,000 new housing units in the next six years, although the state, in its proposal for the grant, is aiming for up to 30,000 new units.
The grant program aims to address barriers to affordable housing production, including infrastructure challenges and land use and regulatory barriers.
The state is also hoping to create new financing mechanisms, including a “statewide infrastructure bank,” to grow the funds available for housing and infrastructure construction.
As part of the application process, the state Office of Planning and Sustainable Development is accepting public comments through Oct. 18. It will hold a meeting that day at 1:30 p.m. at the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation’s meeting room.
The office can be reached at gov.housing.testimony@hawaii.gov.
