LETTER: ‘Hale Makana’ in Wailuku Notorious as “The Hood”

By Linda Case, Wailuku

Low-income housing development Hale Makana O Waiale. Photo courtesy Linda Case.

Maui No Ka Oi’. Yes, Maui can be a lovely place to live, unless of course you live at Hale Makana O Waiale.

This is a housing development in Wailuku, Maui. This development was designed for low-income families. Due to the high cost of living here on Maui, we all know that rent can be very expensive. Yes, much more so than living on the mainland.

So, those of us who choose to live on Maui make a decision to live where we can financially manage our income and continue to enjoy the lifestyle and beautiful weather here on the island.

This was the original intent of the low-income development by the County of Maui. However, that is not what has happened. It has become a project for anyone who doesn’t want to work or who just wants to hang out. The development has adopted the term “the hood.”

There are multiple families sharing units, there are free loaders that come in at night with their bedrolls and sleep on the floor and leave early in the morning. This is common practice. There are a number of apartments with more than 10 persons that occupy the unit on a daily basis. This is a definite fire code violation.

The administration has been scrutinized recently and has lost many of the workers. From the top administration, to office staff, to security workers, and maintenance personnel there have been cuts. The poor administration and lack of direction has resulted in an unsafe place to live. The complaints are not taken seriously resulting in an unsafe place to live.

The noise level is a constant concern. Daily there are multiple children playing in the streets with no parental supervision.

Security is said to be 24 hours a day – 7 days a week. However, many times you cannot reach them by phone and the door to the security office is closed.

I am sure that the intent by the County of Maui was not to create “the hood.” If properly managed and secured Hale Makana O Wailae could become a pleasant place to live for those of us with low-income.

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