 I'm Marcia Joyner and we are navigating the journey. Navigating the journey usually deals with the end of life and from the beginning to the end of life. Today we're going to take a detour. We're not going to talk about the end of life. We're going to talk about what is here and now. And my guest is Ken Farm who's a dear, dear friend and all of you know, I only talked to dear friends. So Ken was the interim chair of the neighborhood board, of one of the many neighborhood boards. Which one is it? Number 15. And so Ken was telling me this interesting story. He was waiting on the bus on Hotel Street and recognized the lighting. Needless to say I have not been on Hotel Street at night for a long time. But I thought that was something that we should talk about. It should not just the two of us but the city council and everybody because lighting at night is so important. So Ken. So thank you very much Marcia for letting me be over here and on your show. Yes so when we I was just taking a bus back home. I think I would have transportation or I'm walking, taking the bus if it's later at night. And I noticed something that I really didn't take a notice before was how bright the lights are. Not in a bad way but how a person might feel safer because the lights are much brighter. You know I was looking up at the different types of, I was looking up at the you know the things that they're on, the poles. And they were the exact same poles so I didn't think anything of it. But when looking all the way down you could see all the way down to the other end of the street. Or is this looking toward there. Either way. More like Malkatumakai. And you could just see all the way to you know where the other bus stop was that's on King Street. Much more than you could before. And I was thinking to myself you know that is me and you know they're had concerns about safety. That's something that I want to try to apply in our neighborhood board district. I've been talking to other parts of the county council that you know for our district council in Joy Manahan to look at what can we do to get those lights in College Walk. So tell me what is it that makes these lights different from any other light? What makes them I mean you know what we have currently right now are just their regular lights but they're much brighter. So you know most people they're most experienced with it is when they're either walking or they see a driver with those LED lights and they're much brighter. The area coverage that the light has is much more. Yes it's much more. So I mean even if they're just using you know the regular poles and just every you know every single one of them it's brights up the area to the point where it almost feels like it's daytime and I mean I don't mean it's in a bad way but a person might feel more comfortable walking there because they can actually see what's in front of them for the most part and actually see you know even dark figures or whatever it is all the way down to the other part of the bus stop. So just for me I'm trying to work on a project where we're looking at the start of College Walk coming from King Street up to Kukuli Street just just that area over there just to kind of light it up as well as there's a there's a back portion from the Weinberg building and there's a credit union there and people use that and I have to be cognizant about you know we can't shut off every single avenue of different people using just other safety or just because people say because the homeless are there we have to look for ways of how can they so use it and that was one of the things that I'm working on right there and by continuation of that looking at can it be done evenly so you know when you're turning down evil a road right where the Department of Human Services that building there there's a place called 888 evil a and just some of the issues that have been there and the lighting there and what can be done to increase the lighting and make it almost like what we see in Chinatown so that there is a safer path people can see a lot of older individuals that live in there and I think that's very important that is they feel safe there's this big building right there beautiful building and it's for seniors I think 888 evil a is that what that is that is what it is that definitely needs lighting absolutely and what about down to all the way down past the Goodwill and what have you so you know I use the term baby steps but you know I'm gonna see where I can do a college walk and the appropriations that we had for that also not forgetting about all the park I think that that's also very important that we have the proper lighting there just so that is more of a use you know park again there's you know people wanted to kind of close the park and things like that but if we can utilize the parks and people feel safe with it then hopefully we can take a step back college wall college walk yes tell us where it well so where the new ASB the American Savings Building is you know right there there's a part where there's a statue I believe it's young sunset but on that area on that side because I believe the Chinese keep I always I think it's a was every cell and the other way you know is on yes one side and the Chinese is on the other side a lot faster out of time I keep well that used to be you know because on this side of the river is Chinatown and on the other side was Japan Town mm-hmm and that was the walk to get to what was at that time to man-man schools so that's why the name college walk so when everything changed they keep college in the name that's a good one so yeah so that that is very interesting and also to when you talk about all the park that used to be a market a long yes yeah I saw that I was reading about I was like wow it was a fish market and other things and then they tore it down and get into a park but you know getting back again to Evalet that was some of the concerns is for the residents that live there that want to go to places like Longs and Ross and some of the other you know types of services that are there that is not a safe walking path so if we can kind of accommodate that and not I think that's very important so what would it take to get the lights I meant that that seems like common sense but when you're talking to the bureaucracy common sense means nothing so what would it take to get the lights so right now I'm just working with some of the stakeholders in the area like 808 Evalet just talking to see if that's something that they'd be willing to get behind as we have a neighborhood board meeting and what you know if we're gonna have some of the city or county officials more mainly county say hey this is something that we really want I think this is something that will you know creating more safer environment than what is currently there as well as you know from Evalet a la park college walk but you know my main focus was always just a college walk area but if we can you know by extension you know we have in a la park Evalet and I think that we will have a much safer area for people to traverse even at night okay now I have been an old-time activist I have a suggestion why not create a walk all of these politicians the people that write checks the people that that are supposed to do these things invite them to go on a walk a to see what it looks like when it's dark and when it with the new lights and that experience it oh yeah that's that simple that way they said oh well yes of course you know the light bulb comes on in their heads I'm dealing with this in another hat that I'm wearing in a in a in a committee where I would you know we're talking about issues like pedestrian safety but I know we're going to be in a building talking about it part of me just like hey let's just go for a walk go for a walk you know see a look yeah I see it all the time so it's like I I walk a lot so I see a lot of things that maybe other people may not or just in a different you know perspective yes in fact a friend of mine they're doing a walk in Waikiki for that very same for the sidewalks and they've invited the people the high mucky mucks of Waikiki to go for this walk so they can see the sidewalks they can see what is going on so this is not an original idea no but it works no it does and that's one of the things that I like doing is I will walk you know I walk everywhere but I mean I do it yes I do kind of keeps me thin hopefully the exercise but more of us is trying to get a feel for what people are talking about right so if you're walking in those in different areas then you know it's different from being in a car you can be in a car and you can drive and you cannot see anything not see anything but if you're walking and you're on the ground and you're looking and you're pushing that button and you're wondering why it's taking forever or you know does it it gives you a different perspective on that I know I wrote the bus today which is not unusual but what I had this big bag of apple bananas that my neighbor gave me off of their tree so my intention was to get here with it when I got off the bus on Hotel Street and all these homeless people I just here take the bananas but that walking through that gives you a different perspective than driving and I think also you're mentioned about the homeless I mean there's a there's a pardon and you know it is it is controversial but we have to take a more you know research type of course and clinical approach as opposed to just what makes people feel good and it doesn't mean that we just pick them off it doesn't mean we just do sweeps because you know first off a sweet they have to go someplace not just that so like it how much does it cost to do a sweet I don't really know I haven't had a chance to take a look at the cost it does cost something yeah that's a cost right so but a bigger cost of doing that could that money be I bet a better pot I think it's better to look at it as some of the preventive services that are being offered right now so for example the thing that's in Chinatown that's right next to the police station and we have actually in our area we have one of the largest hygiene centers in the nation that I helped supported with that along with the county council who you know made that happen and very appreciative of that but you know though it seems kind of productive you're saving money because if you have things like for example the medical center where people can take care of their wounds that it doesn't get much worse than what it is we can treat that in a preventable way and it's much easier to have that cost savings to deal with something else right and another part about it too is is that we just have to also be practical with it and you know when it comes to the hygiene center I go what is what is the hygiene center so the hygiene center is is a place for people who are our homeless or just anybody and there's a homeless you don't have to be like am I homeless to use it go there they take a shower and you know I think they're up to about I believe last time I checked they were using at about 150 almost 100 hundred people a day that use it and honestly if somebody is showering and having that proper hygiene that would hopefully prevent some of the other things that occur because they're not showering and you know other right when I heard scabies or other things like that which costs a lot more to deal with the back end so you know we have to take that practical approach but at the same time we also have to look at the big elephant in a room which is housing right and proper housing and that is something that is going to be coming up over and over again I bring it up to my you know neighborhood board when it comes to housing I try to show them you know this is what it means and we're using a term workforce housing what it actually means what does it mean when you know we're in our area what is workforce housing so without being too technical workforce housing if I was to start as a single person right now would be at about I know anyway advertising for kakaako they kept saying it was work for housing so according to housing and urban development that the reason in terms of that definition it's between 80% am I to 120 what does that mean in real numbers yeah what does that mean so you're starting out is usually they're targeting incomes of a single person if it was a single person at $65,000 and change the 65,360 as a single person and then from that is dictated what the cost is so they're still within the realm of what's considered affordable to the federal government but you know like my area our cutoff is usually about 50,000 a year person sorry not even a person just 52,000 as a family so you know that's something that we have to look and take consideration while we're coming up with the housing I agree that we need more housing but who's it going to be for we have 7,500 units that are 7,500 are going to be built to 9,000 then we have to decide as a community who's it going to be for and for me I hope that it could be members of the community that are kind of growing with it already they're not being displaced as part of some of the things that yeah that was getting my dad as they build do they displace people and the displace people do they get back you know what when it comes to just in general and and you have two reasons right people who are because moving because it's of construction which I'm not against construction it just like I say what what's it for and who's it for the other part is is are they're going to be fulfilling the needs of the people who are going to be moving in there or the current you know community that's there and I think that that's a balancing act that's going to be have happening and the more that we have a community input the more we can see you know and on the practical level as well as you know when what is not going to serve the needs of the community and I think that that conversation definitely needs to happen it I don't know because I'm not a party if you're bored but he's come by the way every third Wednesday every third Wednesday seven o'clock we hear you in church right next to the Nissan oh okay but the now what I'm saying is that do we ever have that conversation not just in Kalihi or any other place but when they're building and displace people do we ever have that conversation about you are being displaced but you can come back do we ever have that part of that conversation but you know it it's a real technical conversation unfortunately sometimes yes sometimes no so you know for example we have like the mayor right project right so you know they have to move everybody out and then they're going to build and then people have first refusal but the thing is they're finding places per the contract that yes you know if it's if person's living in a one bedroom two bath and they're trying to be close to some place they have to find an equivalent replacement right then the question lies once it's built you know we're talking about am I are they going to be able to once again come back to the area again if they wanted to okay well we need to take a break okay and we'll be back in one minute so then talk let's talk about mayor right and what's going on or what what can happen okay we'll be right back hey loha my name is Andrew Lanning I'm the host of security matters Hawaii airing every Wednesday here on think tech Hawaii live from the studios I'll bring you guests I'll bring you information about the things in security that matter to keeping you safe your co-workers safe your family safe keep our community safe we want to teach you about those things in our industry that you know may be a little outside of your experience so please join me because security matters aloha hi I'm Rusty Komori host of beyond the lines on think tech Hawaii my show is based on my book also titled beyond the lines and it's about creating a superior culture of excellence leadership and finding greatness I interview guests who are successful in business sports and life which is sure to inspire you in finding your greatness join me every Monday as we go beyond the lines at 11 a.m. aloha hi I'm Marcia and we're back and we're talking to Ken farm about all of these issues that most of us never never never think about because we drive through and we don't see the lighting and we don't pay attention to the people on the street and it's really sad that we walk by all of these people and don't see them don't care and we we say aloha but we don't act aloha so but that's off the track now we were talking about mayor right housing we were so first tell us where mayor right housing so mayor rights housing is on the corner of on the Deha Street and King you can kind of see it now in fact there was an article talked about it and it was is that the one across from the high school it is not across it is across from what used to be called we gardens but also land apartment okay so we're pulling is yes that's part of you know that's kind of the square of where that is and you know they're gonna be development there that's gonna be several thousand units which we do need but the question is who's it gonna be for right and that comes out are there people in those units now they're people in those units now that I went to a meeting where they were looking at finding replacement areas so that they can there was talk should today try to get everybody out first or so did they try to be incremental in how it goes but either way the other bigger point is is once they build it up who's it gonna be for are they gonna after the building will the prices be so high that these people can't and that is part of the question right and that will be depending upon and unfortunately is the term EMI of what it would be at that point you know there was a bill that was brought out there was a bill with HB 1312 I supported that bill you know and giving testimony and I was helping out this but it was also it didn't really talk about that where the EMI level and requirement what is an AMI so area media income is set by the federal government it is county by county and if you just go to Google you can look it up you can type in EMI Hawaii or I'm sorry EMI 2018 Honolulu and that should pop up there's a group so what the what the medium income what the supposed median income is I wish I knew where the some areas right so the federal government decided what it is right and through HUD and the funding that goes on through you know through whatever the packages that are dealt with and we know who is head of HUD so you know and that's and that's you know and it's an ongoing thing but sometimes you know it's been gone for years even beyond that but you know I want to make sure because I do support mass transportation that here's an opportunity that we have to create the housing needs that are going to be there yes they're going to be more people but then how do we make sure that we serve the current needs of the community you know so that they're not kicked out and then we have new people who come inside and then we have another problem with homelessness right that's going to be kicked on the can down the road a lot of the people who are homeless not everybody is there homeless because of just medical health reasons right every day that rent goes up we have more people that's right and you know the largest cohort of individuals that are gonna start either moving in terms of the homeless and moving toward homelessness are the senior yes and you know that's one thing and a very sobering thought because we have a huge amount of seniors there and if we don't create the housing needs also for them as well as the medical care you think that we have a problem now think about it when it's and I'll guarantee you there's some of those people who never thought that that was going to be them on the street well yeah because now last year we talked we interviewed lots of candidates from all over the state and amazing that the candidate from Manoa and the candidate from windward both had the same issue identical issue and that is seniors who have lived in this house for generations and now the property tax that's right and maintenance and they are out yes and it was unbelievable that this was identical in those parts of the city that nobody pays attention to those people well I mean I'll be a little guilty of that too because you know looking at that it's a nuanced part of the conversation right because then we think that it's going to be about this taxes are raising tax even property taxes right it seemed what would be not you know hopeful is to target those who have the money right and we're talking about seniors especially those who are retired or living here I mean the the cost of that home now was way less even if we were to adjust for inflation over the years and what it is currently you know and they just kind of you know or to pit like for example I know people who live in Manoa and by the grace of their parents bought it when they did or the only ways that they could live there because even on a current but these salaries the people we were the people we were talking about are my age and older who have lived in that house for generations but can they do the maintenance on the house can they do all of the things that a house requires and and now they're you know looking at being homeless and those are some of the questions aside from that but also people who are you know you know bring it closer to town who you know they let's say they live in Chinatown or they even live in other places like Makiki as prices are starting to increase even more are they going to have enough right you know before like you people who are talking about how they're social security you know not everybody had the three stools before was was a pension those security and it was savings right a lot of people it's just mostly social security so if that's not enough now imagine what next week yeah and that's what most people you know are worried about that they're worried about how am I gonna make sure that you know the rent is paid because once you're on the street and this is the thing you know even we talk about sweeps I understand the premise of it and it does make people feel good but if people are losing their documents that are essential documents which would help in the process of getting them housing well people ask okay why you know why didn't they need these documentation so that it can show either they're a citizen or what you know what designation or whatever it is first certificate license you'd be surprised how many offices you can't go to if you don't have a license so it just it seems automatic for people you know that have a license or an ID that everybody should have one well if people lose those things or they get caught up in a sleeper whatever it is it's gonna be much harder so the way that we can help facilitate the process are things like the hygiene center which offer those services for those people at least a place to go I know another thing that is offered not just there but also in the wildlife is where they have a mailbox why is that important is because you need a mailing address in order to get there and that's very essential yeah I saw talked to one man that went for a job he was living in his car mm-hmm went for a job he gave him an address where he used to live when they checked address of course he's not fair and so then they denied him the job so it's a catch 22 yes it is even though he was qualified absolutely qualified for the job but because he was no longer at the address and he couldn't he said he was too embarrassed to say I'm living in my car right and then that's another thing too is I mean there's people who are there and you know and there's nothing called the assisted community treatment which I do support I think that what is that what that is is a bill where it's looking at where people call involuntary hospitalization so it's where the person becomes a ward of the state and the fact so if they don't if you're unable to care for themselves and that's actually a very high bar to reach but we actually do have a lot of people on the street that might meet that requirement that we're able you know the stem sorry the state and I believe by extension by the county but mostly the state has the ability to basically be the guardian over that individual and you know with that we talked about the cost savings which is very important but also it creates a safer community because if we can get those individuals off the street yes we will have a homeless problem but at least we're trying to get people off the street homeless problem and on the street are not all one of the same right now the Supreme Court issued a ruling some time ago that certain people that have certain ailments that are not drug that they're not drug induced that they are born with certain kinds of issues that are not what you call mentally you know they have issues that the state and the county are supposed to provide housing for those kinds of people which we don't do there's a lot of things that obviously need to be re-lit that as well but I also think that we need to bring in you know other part of the community community partners that you know they advocate for those people's rights and it's very important but also understand that there's nuance in a conversation cannot just be in a one-size-fits-all type of approach for every person just like for example not every person who's homeless is is crazy or have a mental problem sometimes it's right because a matter of economics and they can't find a job or that their job was is obsolete now and they don't have the skills and even if they did have the skills are they gonna hire a person who's 45 50 years old well okay the idea that and you're right more and more jobs are disappearing the types of jobs are disappearing and so you know you think that you've got your life planned and your security and blah blah blah and then one day something happened there was a story on the news some time ago and the man in his family were living in a shelter he had everything but the house burned down and they didn't have fire insurance and lost everything all the documents and everything else that was important yeah everything so we don't know why people find themselves in those predicaments it's not always a drug issue I think that we do I think that we put emphasis on certain things but you know the point you just made over there sometimes people just never see that happening right and even though it may be a small case I'm not saying that's every case we have to also look at it from that standpoint and I think it's very important to you know see it for what it is as a a conversation that needs nuance yep there's one one last thing that we see and we see it over and over again veterans mm-hmm on the street and let's assume and you know you know more about this medical the military let's assume that you have a medical discharge because you jumped out of a plane and with a hundred pound thing on your back and now you're disabled and they let you go as a discharge medical discharge but your payment each month is four hundred dollars mm-hmm what can you do with four hundred dollars that's the issue that is the heart of this that's the heart of the issue why you see so many veterans on the street because what little bit of money they get as a medical discharge doesn't do anything I think another thing that speaks to it to even if it's not even just include veterans but there's a thing called permanent supportive housing which says that we're going to house you first we know you may have issues or whatever it is and you know for somebody's making four hundred dollars you know I'm not seeing every veterans like this but no I just sometimes we do have no substance abuse or whatever it is but the idea that they have to get clean first and then we're gonna house doesn't work so with our supportive housing says is we're going to house you and we're gonna wrap those services around you and we're gonna try to curtail that behavior you know so that we can kind of move you forward within the process and you know the success rate for that is much more than the old ad you know you got to be clean first before you get in here and silver and all these other things it's not gonna work as shown so the Seattle model is important which we're using which well you know we run out of time oh yeah I'm going so fast there's well the issue then the reason it went so fast is because there's so many issues out there in that one little thing so we do need to close but promise me we're gonna do a walk we're in a lot of a lot we'll find whoever your city council person is staff the whole thing and do this walk how's that okay that happened all right thank you so much it's been a real pleasure visiting with you and we'll see you next time aloha