Building More Affordable Housing is Vital to Stopping the State’s ‘Brain Drain’

Perhaps you might have heard: Hawai’i is in the midst of a ‘brain drain’ that is depleting the islands of its brightest young people—and at a time the Aloha State can ill afford to lose so many of its kama’aina to the mainland.

In 2021, the Hawai’i Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) conducted a study based around the demographics of individuals leaving the state, concluding what many had long suspected: that our best and brightest young people are leaving the island in droves.

The study, entitled “Brain Drain: Characteristics of Hawai’i-Born Adults on the U.S. Mainland,” found that almost 15% of Hawai’i born people living on the mainland between 18 and 44 possess a Bachelor’s Degree or higher, compared to 7.7% for those still living in Hawai’i.

And why is the brain drain so concerning? We think Zuri Aki said it best back in 2019:

The brain drain is such a serious issue because it is ultimately a loss to our stateʻs overall socio-political-economic potential — and everything and anything that touches it. The brain drain is the potential loss of our youngest generation is the severing of our identity and our ongoing connection to these islands — and no generation feels the pain of that loss greater than our kupuna (elders), who could benefit from the comfort and care of younger generations.

For a great many local families, maintaining a close connection between the generations is absolutely critical to keeping families together. For many of us, the very foundation of our most intimate social circle — family — is at stake here.

One of the primary reasons young, educated professionals are relocating away from their home? A lack of economic opportunity—which includes a severe lack of affordable housing.

The Need to Advance Workforce Housing for Maui Nui

Indeed, without accessible and affordable housing, many of Maui’s vital socio-economic cogs are forced to move off-island to establish themselves, robbing the community of their talents and skills—and perhaps nowhere is this more critical than for our teachers.

Thankfully, there is hope on the horizon: $15 million was recently secured and released to support the construction of dedicated teacher housing in Lahaina for the Lahainaluna Complex Area, which includes Lahainaluna High School, Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary School, Lahaina Intermediate School, and King Kamehameha III Elementary School.

“This innovative partnership creates the kind of housing needed to attract and retain quality teachers to our schools,” said State Representative Angus McKelvey, who worked to secure the funds. “It will also help serve as a model for these types of projects elsewhere.”

With plans also in the wings to construct affordable housing for vital medical workers in the coming years, the movement for affordable, equitable housing is gaining momentum every single day, and much mahalo to all our community partners and friends who made their voices heard on September 1st! Your support has been vital to continue advancing workforce housing projects across the islands, and we’re honored to partner together towards keeping more of Maui’s homegrown talent where they belong—right here at home.

Imua!