BY JIM DOOLEY – Dozens of letters of support have been written to the state on behalf of embattled Maui housing project manager Lisa Faleafine by residents of the apartment complex she oversees.
The letters are addressed to Karen Seddon, executive director of the Hawaii Housing and Finance Development Corp., owner of Honokowai Kauhale, a 184-unit West Maui “affordable housing” project where nearly 40 per cent of the units are vacant.
Seddon has ordered a “compliance audit” to determine the reasons for the high vacancy rate at the facility, which contributes to an acute shortage of affordable housing in the West Maui area.
The letters describe Faleafine as a sensitive and attentive landlord who cares for the residents and their children at Honokowai Kauhale.
“I have seen her take care of the property and especially other tenants’ children when they had to leave in the middle of the night for an emergency,” one letter writer said.
“Lisa also has a weekly art class and ukulele class free of charge,” the letter continued.
“She also had the weekly ‘Feed My Sheep’ which is similar to the Food Bank Program right on site to help those who were struggling in between paychecks so their family would not go without food,” the same letter writer said.
At least three children also wrote letters on behalf of Faleafine, who they described as “Aunty Lisa.”
The letters were sent from a common email address — HonokowaiKauhale@yahoo.com – but don’t share the common language or structure found in many organized letter-writing campaigns.
Several of the writers blamed the high vacancies at Honokowai Kauhale on high rental rates assessed new tenants at the project, which was built in 1989.
“Yes we have many vacant units but only because in 2008 they raised the rent and nobody wants to pay $1,200 for an apartment that is supposed to be ‘low income,’” one writer said.
“If (it) was like before we would be full with a long wait list!! But how is that Lisa’s fault??” the resident wrote.
A number of negative letters about Faleafine and her live-in boyfriend, state parolee Iokepa Auwae, have also
been written to Seddon.
Some of the new letters letters praised Auwae, who is on parole from state prison following convictions for kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery and gun offenses.
“I am a single mom with 3 young children and to them he is “uncle kepa” the first one they run to if they brake a toy or to fix their bike, or even giving my oldest son 14 yrs. old … talks about being a good kid and positive guidance about what not to do,” one resident wrote.
Hawaii Reporter last month disclosed the high vacancy rate and the backgrounds of Faleafine, Auwae and another convicted felon, Genghis Kaihewalu, who works with Auwae as a groundskeeper at Honokowai Kauhale.
Faleafine previously worked as a property manager at a state-owned public housing project on the Big Island that was harshly criticized in 2002 for mismanagement problems and substandard living conditions.
Her family owns the company that has contracted with the state to manage various affordable and low-income housing projects around the state.
Seddon and HHFDC spokesman Kent Miyasaki have given limited responses to questions about the rental and vacancy rates at Honokowai Kauhale.
State Rep. Angus McKelvey, D-10th (Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kapalua, Maalaea, Kihei), said last week that HHFDC wants the rents lowered and vacant units occupied within 30 days.
Seddon would not confirm that statement, saying she is waiting for completion of the compliance audit.
Miyasaki said HHFDC’s asset manager position was vacant for an extended period of time – it was recently filled – and the agency did not know of the high vacancy rate at Honokowai Kauhale until questioned about it by Hawaii Reporter.
He said 37 units are ready for rental and 32 need repair work before they can be occupied.
Glenn Ishikawa, former Honokowai Kauhale maintenance supervisor, said last month 71 units are vacant – some for months and some for as long as five years.
He said the state and Faleafine have been slow to order necessary repairs.
Realty Laua LLC, the Faleafine company that holds a $1.75 million, three-year contract to manage Honokowai Kauhale, has not responded to requests for comment.
HHFDC owns 1,437 apartments in nine housing projects on the Big Island, Maui and Oahu. See the list of projects and vacancies here: Housing Projects
Wow! Thats good to know that you actually have good comments. But time will tell the real you will show very soon!. The fact remains focused on where did all of that money go?. So no matter what you reap out there and all of the bad things you do, GOD he no sleep. So hide all you like because your KARMA is coming. Patience is a virtrue.
The Lahaina Arts Association 808-661-0111 Art Outreach classes provides FREE AFTER-SCHOOL art classes in Lahaina, Honokowai, Makawao, Wailuku & Hana for ages 2 – 18 yrs old. Honokowai has classes every Wednesday from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. PUBLIC can attend at Honokowai Kauhale Community Hall for FREE
MAHALO LAHAINA ARTS OUTREACH PROGRAM!
yes!!! The same lady has been coming there for years…YEARS before she came to Honokowai!!! Shame on her for taking credit for that… as far as Feed my sheep they no longer come hear and they didn’t start coming here because of her! She shouldn’t be given credit for these things. It’s not true.
FEED MY SHEEP 808-872-9100 Distributes food Thursdays in Lahaina. PIILANI ELDERLY HOUSING PROJECT 1028 Wainee St, Lahaina Town from 10:30 – 11:45 a.m. LAHAINA CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 4275 Hine Way in Kahana 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. They no longer distribute at Honokowai Kauhale.
I can’t wait for Karen Seddon to receive the children’s letters by mail for filing from Honokowai. Imagine how cute their handwritings are.
kepa and lisa are very kind and friendly people.Lisa a a responsible manager who does her job right and does not deserve the negative things written about her and neither does kepa who is a hard working father who has always been very nice and in my opinion is a good man.All of this is more of a personal attack from a fired employee who is just looking for revenge.The issues that plague honokowai kauhale are not managements fault but the states fault for raising the rent!! The hate mail needs to stop!! Everyone has the right to their “opinion” but make sure you have the facts before launching personal attacks on poeple who dont deserve it !! There are lots of families now involved who love lisa and kepa and The honokowai kauhale they call home and want to stand by them and support them .I also want to say thank you for finally putting the positive comments being said by the residents of honokowai kauhale cause their voice is what matters!!
Pecas…I disagree with you. If you think that the economy in the State of Hawaii can afford to lose over $500K a year, then you are totally brown nosing. Maybe YOU are treated better because YOU live so close to them but alot of us know exactly how they’ve treated us all these years. Lisa is a fraud and Kepa is a convict…and as for his green cart co-pilot, what exactly does he do??? And how many people live in his apartment? He’s got vip parking for his 3 cars and 2 trucks. Wow! It’s personal for lots of reasons! It is what it is!
I’m sorry, no offense but you portray here as something she is not…who are we kidding. You live upstairs from her and share a yard…of course your best friends…unfortunatly its not that way for all of us. Jus sayin…
Karen Seddon(the State) nor Realty Laua is stating what rents are at Honokowai. H.K. management & Realty Laua should comment then where or why the state is failing them cause all this is leaving them looking so bad.
Speak up! Hawaii Reporter is listening!
I’m sure they are nice to some but VERY RUDE TO OTHERS. What happened to treating others equally? I do not believe the issues or the hate mail is due to an employee being fired but it is basically due to the wrong they both have done to others!!! How does a management company single tenants out for whatever reasons. Ok…If you had a kid, and you got on the bad side of the manager Lisa, and your kids was say playing in the circle where we know is right by Lisa’s apartment, your kid will be told to go and play on YOUR side of the property!!! Hmmmm what do you think, STILL A NICE & CARING MANAGER….NOT DON’T THINK SO!!! Or if you clearly look at your facts, she’s done this types of things TO OLD AND ELDERLY FOLKS on the Big Island, but you think her and her family are caring individuals????? How do you justify this from the so called manager. They was ordered to pay $200000.00 to those elderly folks….but ok they are caring and hard working…SURE. You had people previously working for the State that was in tears for what they had done to these people. How does a person sleep at night knowing what they’ve done. What if that was your Grandmother or Grandfather that was forced to live that way because you had a manager who looked the other way!!! I can guarantee that you’d feel totally different!!!! HERE’S THE MAIN REASON FOR US TENANTS….WHERE’S THE MONEY GOING??? The state gives them money to do the repairs and manage the property etc. so why does it look like crap???? Answer that…You are getting away from the main issues….WHERE’S ALL THE STATE MONEY GOING, while Kauhale still looks like crap????? No one hates them, show us the improvements, treat us all fairly!!! I’m sure there are others that she treats them nicely but for us, she doesn’t. We still have holes in our home that was reported awhile ago but nothing had been done!!! Yes, it does count from the tenants of Kauhale which is why we want it all out in the open so you all know how she treats you and know how she treats me and my family….
One last comment…The free art class was in play way before Lisa’s time at Kauhale, it’s not a project that she allowed to happen or started…Thank you…just so we’re all clear on this.
My compliments to whom ever you are Laughin! You are so on the money. These nice people that commented on Lisa and Kepa, don’t seem to see the big picture here, but that’s okay. You still need to do your research and find out on your own. About the hard working father, um! I don’t think so? fixing dirt bikes on company time and leaving early on the clock is really not working but taking advantage because your girlfriend is your boss. So these hate letters you call or refer to is basically to open up your big eyes and really see what’s going on, Unless you are getting favors too. This Investigation is much bigger than being nice and friendly and as fars as we can all see how this place is runned is by One Bad Manager that’s hiding and getting overly paid. Wake Up! (Pecas”Freckles”) you probably still fresh around here, so no comment if you don’t know what’s really going on. Stop acting like everything is Honkey Dorey, because you will see and think differently when the day comes. Oh! and by the way Murray whom ever you are about Karen Seddon I believe what you said, she is covering herself big time!
How come the state can’t tell Dooley what rents are? Don’t they own the project? I think that there is enough out there against both realty luau and the state. But if you really think about it the most blame should be on the state. They own the project and were the folks that hired realty luau. Don’t you think they should be the ones that know everything that is going on and make realty luau do what they are supposed to do? It just makes no sense to me the way the state is handleing this. I would think they would be on it super fast with all of this bad stuff being written here. I called the office today just to find out what the rents are and no change from when I called last time. Mr, Dooley what id the gov saying about all of this? Are heads going to roll?
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