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	Tafuna Housing occupants may be required to pay rental fees by next year
	Here's a look at some of the signs for several offices and organizations that were and still are operating at the Tafuna Housing.
Pictured here is one of the old houses located at the Tafuna Housing Compound. DAS director Nuutai Sonny Thompson, who oversees the Tafuna Housing is continuously seeking funds to repair and remodel the homes, in hopes of tranforming the houses to newer stateside residences with modern features.

American Samoa Government offices, agencies, and other organizations currently operating out of the Tafuna Housing compound could be required to pay rental charges by next year.

Department of Administrative Services director Nuutai Sonny Thompson, who oversees the Tafuna Housing said that currently, ASG offices like the Department of Education, the Tourism Office, the Department of Human and Social Services, the Territorial Energy Office, the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, the American Samoa National Olympic Committee, and the Centers for Families of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (CFIDD) are operating free of charge out of homes at the Tafuna Housing.

Most of the homes being used are located near the Territorial Correctional Facility.

Nuutai said that by January 2008, he will be looking at perhaps charging rental fees for the current as well as future occupants, as another source of revenue for the American Samoa Government.

“This is prime ASG real estate and even though some of the houses are being used as offices by some government departments and organizations, we are continuing to repair some of the other rundown homes that have been unoccupied for years,” Nuutai said.

If he had it his way, Nuutai said that he would tear down all the homes and build newer stateside homes that are two-story and up to par with today’s standards.

In past years, government contract workers who were housed at the Tafuna Housing would often complain, through the media, about the condition of the homes which included leaks, bug infestation, never-ending electrical problems, and poor overall appearance.

Since taking the helm as DAS director, Nuutai has enforced strict guidelines about how the yards should be maintained and keeping the compound litter free. He has been known to send some of his employees to visit the homes to conduct inspections to ensure that proper maintenance of the grounds was being carried out.

“If people can’t take care of their surroundings and keep the area clean, then this is not the place for them,” he said in an earlier interview.