A state audit of the Hawai'i Public Housing Authority stated that the mission of the public corporation is to "provide safe and sanitary accommodations and to reconstruct those areas in which unsafe and unsanitary conditions exist."

Judging by numerous troubling reports, the state is not only failing to meet that mandate, it has failed to provide even the most basic of needs.

For a month now, 12 apartments at Mayor Wright Homes in Kalihi have gone without hot water, a problem that likely would be met with public outrage from residents in any other community. What's worse, public housing officials were made aware of the problem last year when tenants were left without hot water for more than a month after cloudy weather prevented the solar heating panels from working. A weak back-up system was ineffective.

Chad Taniguchi, executive director of the Hawai'i Public Housing Authority, says that six of the units were fixed within one week from the failure that started Sept. 28, and that six of the other units will be fixed in the next couple days. In addition, a replacement panel and pump have been installed.

Taniguchi says the department now has sufficient funds from the Legislature to fix or replace the solar water heaters. Construction is planned to start in May 2008.

That's encouraging news.

Public housing units throughout the state have been plagued by widespread disrepair. This has created nothing short of a public safety emergency for the thousands of tenants.

Last year, broken elevators forced paramedics to take the stairs before reaching an asthmatic tenant on the 14th floor at her Kuhio Park Terrace apartment. The Kalanihuia high-rise for elderly, Paoakalani Homes, and Ho'olulu and Kamalu projects in Waipahu were among other public housing units in need of elevator repairs.

Other problems include leaky sewer and water pipes, loose railings, crumbling sidewalks, and broken garbage chutes and fire alarms.

Fixes have been made, but many problems remain.

Granted, the state faces a lengthy and costly backlog of repairs. And both the city and the state are in the process of getting out of the public housing business altogether.

But until that happens, keeping these units safe and sanitary is the government's responsibility — and a mandate that must finally be met.