Chinatown May Get More Affordable Housing For Older Adults, Plus A Hotel 0 The proposal comes as Honolulu is struggling to provide affordable housing on an island where the median price for a home rose above $1 million earlier this year.
Chinatown, one of the oldest neighborhoods on Oahu, consists mainly of two-story buildings with shops on the first floor and living quarters on the second. Towering over those buildings are several mid-to-high-rise apartment towers – some deemed as affordable housing.
But some residents say there is need for more affordable housing in the 15-block neighborhood, especially for those aged at least 65, who make up 18% of Oahu’s population of 1 million.
“People just need housing,” said Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock, president of the Chinatown Business Association. “The city isn’t affordable. A lot of seniors are on fixed income, and some are on social security right now. Many seniors barely receive $600 a month.”
