Website to Show Impacts of COVID-19 on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Operations

Photo courtesy: Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has launched a COVID-19 update page on its website to provide information regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 virus on the department’s operations.

DHHL officials say they will update the page regularly with related closures and information to “ensure a steady flow of accurate information to beneficiaries regarding the department’s operations and procedures.”

“We are working to maintain as much continuity of service as possible during this ever-evolving situation,” Hawaiian Homes Commission Chairman William J. Ailā, Jr said in a press release.

“Our priority is the health and safety of our beneficiaries and staff.”

All DHHL offices are closed statewide through April 3, 2020, including the Department’s main office in Kapolei, Oʻahu. The public should anticipate delays on all services including, but not limited to, transfers, successorships, home sales, and billing.

Payments to DHHL for Direct Loans, water bills, general leases, and rights of entry are only being accepted via mail. No walk-in payments are being accepted as a result of the office closures.

All payments should be mailed to P.O. Box 1721, Honolulu, HI 96806. Only checks, cashier’s checks, or money orders will be accepted for the mail in payments.

Beneficiaries are asked to continue to make their regular loan and water payments. Anyone experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 outbreak should contact his or her lender as soon as possible. If the loan is directly with DHHL, call (808) 620-9500.

The Hawaiian Homes Commission (HHC) has postponed its regularly scheduled monthly meeting that was set to take place on Molokaʻi on Monday, April 20 and Tuesday, April 21. Decisions on future scheduled HHC meetings will be made as the current COVID-19 response is monitored.

Reservations for department facilities, including the Paukūkalo Homestead Community Center on Maui, Kūlana ʻŌiwi Center on Molokaʻi, and Kūhiō Hale in West Hawaiʻi through April 30, have been canceled. No additional reservations are currently being accepted and anyone who had a cancellation will receive a refund.