The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has initiated the long-awaited project lease awards for nearly 400 Native Hawaiian beneficiaries in West Hawaiʻi. This event, held in the Monarchy Ballroom at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on April 12, marked the first allocation of its kind in West Hawaiʻi since the early 2000s.
Over 660 beneficiaries were invited to select from two homestead developments: Laʻi ʻŌpua in Kealakehe and Kailapa in Kawaihae. The initiative was part of DHHL's strategy to address its extensive waitlist, offering 368 leases in Laʻi ʻŌpua and 22 in Kailapa. Beneficiaries who have waited since as early as 1963 were given the opportunity to move towards homeownership.
Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke emphasized the significance of this initiative, stating, “Homesteads not only put our people back on the land; homesteads restore hope in our communities.”
DHHL Director Kali Watson highlighted the upcoming plans, noting that the department aims to deliver about 1,200 housing units on Hawaiʻi Island in the coming years. As Watson put it, “The success of our homesteading program relies on our ability to pivot towards the needs of our beneficiaries and project leases are one example of that.”
This lease allocation represents the second in a series of three major distributions planned for the year. The DHHL previously awarded 790 leases in West Oʻahu and anticipates distributing nearly a thousand on Maui later this year. Overall, the department has outlined a goal to issue over 6,000 project leases across the state in the next two years.
Kanani Takata, accepting a lease on behalf of her grandfather who applied in 1963, expressed a desire for the leases to “bless generations now or future generations.” Charmaine Davis, another lease awardee, highlighted the importance of carrying on the legacy through Hawaiian homes: “... we have a forever home, a forever home.”
Act 279, a $600 million allocation from the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in 2022, funded the infrastructure costs for Laʻi ʻŌpua, amounting to $32.9 million.
The DHHL is also developing five additional projects on Hawaiʻi Island, promising a robust expansion of housing options such as turnkey homes, owner-builder lots, and rent-to-own opportunities for Native Hawaiian families. Director Watson noted the critical importance of addressing the decades-long wait many families have faced, ensuring that homeownership provides a pathway for generational change.
For further information on DHHL’s initiatives and upcoming projects, interested parties are encouraged to visit their website.