The Kukui Gardens Residents Association and Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE) will hold a prayer vigil on at 2:30 p.m. today at the Liliha Street entrance to Kukui Gardens.

Event organizers said tenants have fought for nearly three years to keep their housing affordable. The state Legislature had appropriated $52 million over the last two years to make this a reality. However, the economic crisis has made it difficult for the state to get investors to purchase the $5 million of affordable housing tax credits which would help build almost 400 affordable units needed to replace units that will be redeveloped to market rate housing, vigil organizers said.

They said the prayer vigil is being held in hopes of gathering support from federal, state, local officials and the public to assist in whatever way possible to get the tax credit sold. Once sold this will automatically trigger $21 million of federal housing tax credits for Kukui.

Kukui Gardens consists of 857 affordable rental units which are home to more than 2,500 residents. The project was sold by the Clarence Ching Foundation to Carmel Partners and the state for $131 million. The project is currently being managed by the Ecumenical Association for Housing (EAH) and Carmel Partners. They will also be in charge of the redevelopments