As teachers struggle to make ends meet in Hawai‘i, progress continues on a teacher housing project in Mililani.
In 2023, the Hawai‘i State Legislature tasked the Hawai‘i School Facilities Authority develop workforce housing for teachers and education staff in order to offset the high cost of living in the state, which has exacerbated a teacher shortage across the islands.
As its first project, the HSFA announced last year plans to build a teacher housing project at Mililani High School. Cheri Nakamura, HSFA’s program and policy officer, told Aloha State Daily that an environmental assessment for the project is underway, with a draft expected to be published in early 2026.
Construction on the project is scheduled to begin in late 2027 and be completed in 2029.
The project, a public-private partnership with the Pacific Housing Assistance Corporation — an O‘ahu-based nonprofit affordable housing developer — initially pitched 109 housing units to be built on the Mililani High School campus. That initial proposal is subject to change, however, after the initial planned site received pushback from residents.
“The previous site was planned to be on the same site as the school’s ag program,” Nakamura said, adding that the original site on Hookelewaa Street was also considered to be too close to the school’s academic buildings and could cause traffic congestion nearby.
After taking public feedback, the project’s new site remains on-campus, but in a southeastern corner of the property near the ballfields on Meheula Parkway.
Nakamura said she believes residents are more amenable to the new site, and added that a successful project in Mililani could serve as a model for future developments around the state.
“School land has space, it has infrastructure,” Nakamura said. “On undeveloped land, it can be hard to build affordable housing because there’s no infrastructure and it’s expensive to build that … And in Mililani, you’re within walking distance from the town center.”
The project would not be free for teachers: Nakamura said the developers are considering an even split between rental units available for people making up to 60% of the area median income — she estimated that most teachers early in their career fall under this margin — and those available for people making up to 120% AMI.
Housing would not be exclusively for teachers, said Nathan Hokama, HSFA spokesman, as other education staff and faculty could qualify for residency, as could spouses or children.
While the project would be fenced off from the campus proper, other specifics about the development — amenities, conditions for residency — are still up in the air.
However, Nakamura pointed to a 2023 survey by the state Department of Education that indicated the desire of Hawai‘i teachers for employee housing options. According to that survey, only 50% of respondents own their own homes and 41% believe themselves likely to leave their job within the next five years because of the high cost of housing.
“The DOE’s trying some incentives,” Nakamura said. “But it’s the cost of living. We all know teachers don’t get paid a whole lot.”
The survey also found that 70% or more respondents want an in-unit kitchen and an on-site laundry, and the most they are willing to pay for a 1-bedroom apartment is $1,400 a month.
The cost of the project itself is still undetermined. Nakamura said that, as a public-private partnership, the Pacific Housing Assistance Corp. will be the one setting the cost. The state Legislature in 2023 appropriated $170 million for teacher housing, but slashed that investment to $5 million following the Maui wildfires.
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