How will you pay rent on May 1st ?

Hawaiʻi landlords are making national news these days. Governor Ige issued an eviction moratorium until May 30, and the courts are closed. But little has been said how renters are supposed to make rent, or maintain a relationship with a landlord during these times, and any time. This is exactly the type of data that we are interested in, and want to share.

All the stories of living in Hawaiʻi that we have normalized and tell each other but often don’t think are important are data to be harnessed to push for system changes. How do you get an apartment you can afford? Once you get one, how do you make sure you are a good renter? Do you ask your landlord for your shower to be fixed or will you look like a complainer and be asked to leave? Do you live with termites and leaks? These stories are all data points that are often overlooked, and never make it to lawmakers ears to help push for change. Please share with us.

As you can see our forms are anonymized. But your story is still important. Showing that many other people make the same survival choices, or demonstrating the problem solving that always been a part of local knowledge shows that we in Hawaiʻi have the tools to transform our community when the right people are given a chance to speak the truth of their lives. Hawaiʻi is not the paradise of others’ imagination, we know. At the same time, the everyday lives, challenges and stories we have in our community show what we have to share is valuable.