Habitat Partners to Build Kanehe Home in Kula

First Row: Catherine Lederer, Alani Artates, Lahela Aiwohi, Willy Greig, Ray Shimabuku, Lena Station, and Timothy and Mikala Kanehe. Back Row: Deanna Davis, Laksmi Abraham, Mike Gerry, Jim Briske, Leimomi Johnson,Rayden Kalama, and Shaun Waite. Courtesy photo, Habitat for Humanity.

By Wendy Osher

The Kanehe family in Kula will soon realize the dream of home ownership with the help of the Maui Island Labor Alliance and Habitat for Humanity Maui, representatives announced.

The two entities joined forces to assist in construction of the home, with a ground breaking held two weeks ago on Feb. 19, 2014.

“We are so excited to be partnering with the Maui Island Labor Alliance for this build,” said Habitat for Humanity Maui executive director Sherri K. Dodson in an organization press release.

“This family has worked very hard to prepare for home ownership and is so excited to be getting a home for their family. Because the union trades are involved the build should go much faster, meaning the family won’t have to wait much longer to realize the dream of owning their own home,” she said.

The project was voted for and agreed upon by board members with the Maui Island Labor Alliance, and was coordinated by Chair Lahela Aiwohi, the announcement said.

According to the Habitat for Humanity Maui website, the project calls for a three bedroom, two bath home in the Waiohuli area of Kula.

The mission of Habitat for Humanity Maui is to “build decent housing and to renovate substandard housing on Maui in partnership with community volunteers and potential homeowners so that homelessness and substandard housing on Maui is eliminated.”

According to Habitat for Humanity, partner families must provide sweat equity into the building of their home.  The Habitat website notes, “Habitat provides a long term, no interest, no profit mortgage to our partner families. We offer our families a hand up not hand out.”

More information on the application process is available online.