Kapālama residents fed up with what they say is substandard public housing conditions filed class-action lawsuits in state and federal courts yesterday against the state for the alleged lack of repairs.

Only cold water streams from most showers and sink spigots at Mayor Wright public housing, a chilling daily reminder to its low-income residents that their basic need for hot water has been ignored by the government.

The state has chosen a New Jersey-based company to undertake a $316 million redevelopment of Kuhio Park Terrace and Kuhio Homes, which will include a one-for-one replacement of public housing units along with the addition of 276 subsidized, senior and market rate rental units.

“We have appropriated funds to take care of many of the projects, including the elevators, trash chutes, fire alarms, etc., but there seem to be delays in carrying out the repairs. We've tried to hold the administration accountable by doing hearings, site visits, and recently asked for an audit.”

The minimum expected of public housing, according to multiple federal laws on the books, is that it be "decent, safe, and sanitary." It's simply unconscionable that there are still public housing projects in Hawaiʻi that can't even reach that low bar.

Among the responsibilities of state government is to help provide basic needs for citizens' whose own means fall short. Where shelter is concerned, the state acknowledges this through its public housing projects.

The state, as a landlord, has an obligation to provide living quarters that are in good repair, just as private property owners do.

The federal case alleges that the public housing project violates the American with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the Fair Housing Act. The state case alleges a breach of obligation by the state under its warranty of habitability.