Billionaire Hands Over Homes To Homeless

(AP)  Japanese real estate mogul Genshiro Kawamoto handed over three of his many multimillion-dollar homes in Oahu's priciest neighborhood to homeless and low-income Native Hawaiian families.

Tears ran down Dorie-Ann Kahele's cheeks Thursday as she accepted the key to a white columned house worth nearly $5 million. Her family will live in the mansion rent-free.

Kawamoto plans to open eight of his 22 Kahala neighborhood homes to needy Hawaiian families. He says they will be able to stay in the homes for up to 10 years.

Kahele, 39, and her five daughters had been living in one small room at a homeless shelter for the past five years.

"What we need to do is appreciate," said Kahele. "As fast as we got it, it could disappear."

Kawamoto, whose eyes started welling up when Kahele cried, said he will not charge the families anything to live in the homes. They will, however, have to pay their own utility bills.

The billionaire is one of Japan's richest men. He said he was embarking on the unusual venture because it made him happy. He also gave each family 10 $100 bills to help them move in.

Native Hawaiians are disproportionately represented among the state's homeless and working poor.

Kawamoto owns dozens of office buildings in Tokyo and his been buying and selling real estate in Hawaii and California since the 1980s.

He has been criticized for evicting tenants of his rental homes on short notice so he could sell the properties, as in 2002, when he gave hundreds of California tenants 30 days to leave.

Two years later, he served eviction notices to tenants in 27 Oahu rental homes, saying they had to leave within a month. He said he wanted to sell the houses to take advantage of rising prices.

Kawamoto selected the eight low-income families from 3,000 people who wrote him letters last fall after he announced his plan. He has said he tried to pick working, single mothers.

He added it showed more dedication to helping the homeless than just handing out cash.

Kawamoto laughed when asked if he was concerned about losing money on the effort, saying, "This is pocket money for me."

Kahele became homeless two years ago when her landlord raised her rent from $800 to $1,200, putting the apartment beyond reach of her salary as a customer service representative.

Some neighbors are unhappy with Kawamoto's plan, saying he is trying to drive down real estate values so he can buy even more homes.

"Everyone's paying homage to him, but in reality, he's the problem," said Mark Blackburn, who lives down the street from Kahale's new home. "Houses are homes. They're made to live in; they aren't investment vehicles."

In response, Kawamoto said, "The people who don't want to live near Hawaiians should move."

[sweetgal_deb]

This sounds like a wonderful thing for this man to be doing for poor people. I hate to rain on the parade but do you think the poor working mother of 5 will honestly be able to make enough money each month to pay the very high utility bills a huge mansion will produce?????

I mean this poor woman will be paying for child care in order to work, buying groceries & all the other must haves each month, the utility bill is going to be "out of sight"!!!!!

If it were me, with the little disability check I get each month from the government, I'd be having my electric & gas turned off within 3 months of moving in that mansion. And that doesn't even include the swimming pool & you know there has to be one there. I understand from my brother that the maintanance on a pool with the chemicals ect. can run $200 a month & up. I'd be living there, my 3 months, & just looking at the pool because it would be too gross to get in without the chemicals! *LOL*

I wish these poor families lot's of luck. I pray the reality of this situation doesn't over shadow the nice thing this wealthy man is trying to do. I also hope these families take care of these beautiful homes.

[valendug]

Only the most naive don't know that the wealthy don't "give" anything away without there being some financial incentive or tax write-off for them someshere down the road. I'll bet the affluent neighbors will love their new homeless friends.

[agnim]

"Japanese Property Mogul Opens Up 3 Multimillion-Dollar Hawaii Homes, But Is He Scheming?"

Who cares if he's 'scheming'?
Are the people having a place to live? Duh!

[kpbkpb]

p.s. rohink, I have an education and mentioned have worked all my adult life. NEVER drew ANY TYPE of welfare. I had a loan on my home, the company sold out three different times within the last five years and I suddenly was told my payment would be raised from $726 to $1,422. I took my new policy sent to me to an attorney and was told that I had signed mega years ago a 2nd ARM clause that had never been used until then. I've never asked anyone for anything and pray that I never will, but due to coporate greed, I lost something I worked very hard for. Don't put everyone in the same box and judge them. Maybe some of you folks need to get some human lessons from Mr.Kawamoto?

[cosmicfluke]

people shouldn't be allowed to have more than 10 million dollars.

that's enough for anyone, anything beyond that is taking away from the rest of us.

who's this economy for, anyway?

[kpbkpb]

May God continue to bless Mr.Kawamoto. So many people who have so much, could care less about those of us who do not. Most people think that losing one's home in the land of opportunity is impossible, but that's not true. Working since the age of 18, supporting the children alone after divorce, supporting grandchildren, and finding yourself losing your home of 20 years, you've worked so hard for and not knowing what to do because of corporate greed and the government being so unsteady. The good Lord put him on earth for a good reason-to help the suffering people; too bad our government can't take human lessons from this gentleman.

[rohink-2009]

Let all the millionaires take care of all the poor people and we can all live in harmony.

Better yet, go to school, get an education, keep your pants on, don't have endless babies. Become self sufficient and able to take care of yourself before you bring another life into this world to take care of. People need to start being responsible for them selves instead of expecting the government (tax payers) to fix everything for them. And finally, if that Billionaire really wanted to help he wouldn't have set them up in mansions.

[huskerarmy]

"...there are a lot of people that don't do $ht and expect to get by on people like me..."
My problem Coleman is that I was one of those kids out there who are poor by birth right alone. I entered the Army and servied in Viet Nam to help pay for an education. I struggled like hell, took out student loans, which left me with a substantial debt, worked full time and went to school part time. All the while, my "fortunate son" classmates joined frats and went on spring break in Carribean. But I made it... inspite of the system, not because of it. Now my kids have it easier, but I don't allow them to take it for granted. I often recount stories of my struggle. And I support anything the government or business can do to make it easier for future generations to educate themselves. Unfortunately, although business likes to deny most roles for government in our lives, this is not a responsibility they are eager to take on.

[tcoleman12]

Didn't I say I pay taxes? I didn't say I don't want to pay taxes or don't pay them. I just don't think I should have to pay any more. I also think that what this guy does with his money as well as Gates, Oprah, Buffett and others is up to them.

This class envy thing is a tool of the Dems/Libs that is really getting old. You guys need to figure out how to get some money of your own and then do whatever you want with it yourselves.

[huskerarmy]

"Corporations are not in business to pay for government and I don't have a job to pay for government or for someone else to live."
Tcoleman, you seem a bit too concerned with how this man spent his money... The converse of what you are saying is that it is not government's job to make or keep you rich. If you are going to profit from an educated work force, in a country and environment that allows you to prosper, then you should invest in that system. If you are only in it for the money, you are free to move to Dubai, or some third world nation, where you don't have to pay taxes and slave wages are the norm.