Posts: 8,464
Threads: 1,032
Joined: May 2003
This Arizona school district bought five acres and built 24 tiny homes for its teachers.
Might this be an example for Hawaii? Or is it too logical to ever happen here.
I was surprised Arizona ranks last in teacher salaries. I thought Hawaii did.
How tiny homes are helping cash-strapped teachers in Arizona
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/school-matt...-teachers/
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
Posts: 2,481
Threads: 10
Joined: Feb 2008
Wikipedia suggests that anything under 500sf is a tiny house which seems reasonable. At 400sf these houses would qualify. I dispute that there is any real definition of what a tiny house is though as so many examples on the internet could only be houses in the imagination of their builders. A real house, tiny or otherwise, has to meet the needs of the occupants and has to be a functioning part of the rest of the community. A 150sf tiny house on wheels that you have to hide from the neighbors, with no acceptable sewage disposal, that meets no life safety codes or RV codes that would let it park in an RV park, and would be a hazard on the highway, should not be considered a house.
I commend this school system and community for embracing these small homes as part of a solution to a housing problem. However they appear to not be tiny houses in the spirit of so many being touted on the internet. They don't look like they are on wheels, I am pretty certain they have some type of effective waste disposal system, and I am certain that they were built according to local codes, not in defiance of them.
The whole tiny house thing gets a bit crazy sometimes, and this coming from someone who lives in a shipping container.
Posts: 3,202
Threads: 108
Joined: Jun 2010
You see again and again where counties require or subsidize "affordable housing" in developments, and end up with $250k+ single-family homes. Even efficiency dwellings are looked down on, nevermind tiny homes. Need some kind of incentive to make *actual* affordable housing...
Posts: 8,464
Threads: 1,032
Joined: May 2003
Well, this school district being proactive in housing some of their teachers is, in my opinion, admirable. Finding or providing a young teacher affordable housing is tantamount to giving them a raise. A tiny home is adequate for a single person and is acceptable only if that teacher accepts it.
So the theory of a government agency acquiring a parcel of land and placing multiple units on it is worth study. CoH did this, by suspending it's code requirements, for displaced seniors from the lava disaster. If it can be done once for one segment of society it can be done again for another. It becomes an issue of whether it is in the public interest to do so.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
Posts: 1,123
Threads: 68
Joined: Mar 2015
Hpp has a bunch of 5 acre continuous plots,zoned only for schools,or churches. Perhaps
The puna Baptist church can get 1 lot together for a set of small houses for teachers?
Lottery?
Aloha
HPP
HPP
Posts: 1,099
Threads: 71
Joined: Jan 2009
quote:
Originally posted by dan d
The puna Baptist church can get 1 lot together for a set of small houses for teachers?
Lottery?
I don’t think it is a big issue for Puna teachers, as their is plenty affordable housing for them in the area.
Star Advertiser has related article (behind paywall). Hawaii Free Press has a kinda summary, which speaks to Rob’s surprise in the original post. Using Oahu as the sample vs the whole state makes a big difference in the stats...
https://tinyurl.com/ydcflhcy
Cheers,
Kirt
Posts: 11,022
Threads: 750
Joined: Sep 2012
It's a good idea Rob.
It would help young teachers in many ways. They're probably cash strapped with student loans, so a minimum security deposit and no first month's rent would help them get settled in.
For applicants from the mainland, they wouldn't have to research whether a rental unit that sounds attractive on Craigslist, is in a sketchy neighborhood of drug addicts and car thieves. Without needing first month's rent they can pay for airfare from the mainland without going into debt.
The small houses would also create a neighborhood for new arrivals whose nearest friends are hundreds if not thousands of miles away. There would be someone next door to talk to, a colleague who's facing the same challenges they are.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
Posts: 3,202
Threads: 108
Joined: Jun 2010
To clarify, I think it's a great idea, but hope we are not on a path back to "company towns". Better there is affordable housing where they can build some equity, than to always be a renter. Good short term option though.
Posts: 8,464
Threads: 1,032
Joined: May 2003
The example in Arizona says that their teacher housing is a combination of rent (the ground and installed utilities) and mortgage (the house itself which would involve equity).
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
Posts: 2,466
Threads: 316
Joined: May 2008
Levittown is taken.....
Maybe call it Kimtown?
Puna: Our roosters crow first
