Lynda Lydon spent a year on the waiting list before moving into a seven-story building on Queen Street in Kakaʻako that she hoped to call home for the rest of her life.
A friend living there had encouraged her to relocate to Honuakaha. It was reserved for seniors over 62 with incomes less than 60% of Honolulu’s median income, which at the time, in 2020, meant under about $52,000.
Lydon, now 73, decorated her 350-square-foot, third-floor studio with Endless Summer prints and family photos. Volunteered at a cat care charity. Became a regular at Ala Moana Beach Park. Paid her rent — which started at $600 a month and covered electric, water and sewer utilities — on time every month…