23 Jul KHfH Welcomes Affordable Housing Development Intern
Kaua‘i Habitat is excited to welcome Affordable Housing Development Intern Raenelle Torres to the ‘ohana. Raenelle applied for the Internship Program for Diversity in Nonprofit Housing and Community Development through a partnership with California Coalition for Rural Housing (CCRH). This internship program, now in its 27th year, operates in California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington State.
As the Affordable Housing Development Intern Raenell will work closely with a supervisor and follows an Intern Work Plan that provides a well-rounded intern experience in the field of nonprofit affordable housing and community development. She will also be actively involved in affordable housing development. She will learn hands on what it takes to create affordable healthy living communities, and specifically learn the intricacies of developing and rehabilitating multifamily housing complexes from concept inception to construction completion for low-income and ethnically diverse communities.
Residing in Aiea on Oahu, Raenelle is enrolled at the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture and recently completed her third year of study. She is working toward her Bachelors of Environmental Design which she expects to attain in May 2025. Raenelle also works as an interior design freelancer and part-time as restaurant wait staff. She is a first-generation university student, speaks Tagalog in addition to English, and has volunteered with organizations like The Shriners that provide housing assistance and support services to low-income families and as well as for multicultural programs such as Filipino for Kids Cultural Program.
Raenelle’s goal with her internship at Kauai Habitat is to gain valuable skills and experience in affordable housing and community development, with a focus on addressing the pressing housing issues facing communities in Hawai’i. As she described in her application, for Raenelle “…it’s not just about housing—it’s about standing up for what is morally and ethically right, and ensuring that Hawai’i remains a place where people, regardless of background or income, can truly call home.”
The CCRH Internship Program is a one-year paid internship designed to recruit, train, and retain housing development professionals who enhance inclusion and racial equity within the Affordable Housing Development field. CCRH member nonprofit organizations have responded to the need for affordable housing by building, maintaining, and rehabilitating affordable housing complexes in the rural West since the 1960s. This internship is intended to provide an entry into the affordable housing and community development field to historically underrepresented college students from low-income, rural, and ethnically diverse communities representative of the growing diverse populations served by these nonprofit housing developers. The Internship Program is funded by Bank of America, NeighborWorks America, Rural LISC, Merritt Community Capital, Wells Fargo, Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, and individual donors.
After completing her internship and graduation from UH Manoa in 2025, Raenelle plans to continue to graduate school to pursue a Master’s degree in adaptable and affordable housing.