#kali watson

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands announced Friday it has secured a substantial $22.3 million grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant.

Gov. Josh Green, whose mother-in-law died before signing up for a Hawaiian homestead award, will give a keynote address at the upcoming Hawaiian Home Lands Sovereignty Conference in Honolulu, running June 2-4.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) presented an ambitious awards schedule before the Hawaiian Homes Commission Monday and announced its plan to issue more than 2,600 leases by the end of 2025.

The Department of Hawaiian Homes Lands will lead a public rally on Tuesday, March 25, to honor Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, recognize legislative efforts aimed at decreasing DHHL’s waitlist, and promote support for proposed legislation.

Two homestead communities were recognized at last Thursday’s wildfire summit for their efforts, commitment and contributions to the Firewise program.

The Maui County Council’s Water Authority, Social Services and Parks Committee has recommended full Council confirmation of Jonathan Likeke Scheuer as the Hawaiian Homes Commission representative to the East Maui Regional Community Board.

Through the Home Build Program, lessees on Oʻahu will work alongside Honolulu Habitat personnel to achieve stability and self-reliance through homeownership. Habitat homebuyers contribute to the program by building their homes alongside volunteers, attending financial education classes, and paying an affordable mortgage.

A new piece of legislation proposes to boost funding for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to support more than 20 active housing projects for Native Hawaiians. The proposal also seeks to extend the Act 279 Special Fund for an additional two years.

Members of the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives Native Hawaiian Affairs Caucus presented their 2025 Legislative Package, with four priority bills aimed at representing and advocating for the needs of the Native Hawaiian community.

The opening of new homestead homes two Kauaʻi families on Anu Street in the Anahola homestead of Piʻilani Mai Ke Kai came with the joyful sounds of children playing, according to an announcement from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has been awarded a $72 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, adding to a $17 million grant received earlier this year. This brings the total to $89 million to improve broadband access for thousands of underserved households on Hawaiian home lands.

In a milestone initiative, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Director Kali Watson signed the program’s first in-house building permit for its Yorktown transitional housing project Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. This new approach is set to streamline the building permit process and will enable the department to advance on the development of more than 20 homestead projects statewide.

Dozens of high school students and volunteers removed more than 30 abandoned cars from a parcel of Hawaiian homelands in Anahola, Kauaʻi Thursday as part of a community effort to reduce the risk of wildfires in the area.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands awarded 52 turnkey homes Saturday as part of phase one of the Puʻuhona Homestead lot awards. Puʻuhona is the department’s first project initiated through the $600 million allocation by state lawmakers in 2022 to support a multifaceted approach to reduce the DHHL Waiting List. Of the 52 homes offered in phase one, three- to five-bedroom homes were made available. Homes range in price from $509,800 to $699,000.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has partnered with homestead nonprofit, Hawaiian Lending & Investments, to provide direct assistance to beneficiaries looking to construct, or purchase, a home on Hawaiian Home Lands.

The DHHL Wildfire Relief Program, a direct response to the ongoing hardships faced by Native Hawaiian families residing on Hawaiian Home Lands, will offer up to six-months of rental and utility relief to eligible individuals and families. In the wake of the wildfires, this initiative seeks to alleviate the financial burdens that have arisen, enabling affected families to regain their stability and rebuild their lives.

The organization plans to use the Stupski investment to finance construction loans for native Hawaiians to build on Department of Hawaiian Homelands. With this investment, HCL aims to house 200 beneficiary families over the next five years directly with the funds.

Registration began Monday to those interested in participating in an axis deer control hunt program on Hawaiian Home Lands in Waiohuli.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands awarded 25 pastoral lots Saturday as part of the department’s Kuleana Program. Established in 1999, the Kuleana Program was created through beneficiary consultation and is the department’s direct response to fulfilling the community’s needs and desire to be stewards of the land.

During a three-day site visit, members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee were met by state officials and community members who delivered presentations on their plans for a range of both Governor’s and Senate priorities, including: economic and workforce development, investments in infrastructure, and the coalescing of a food innovation network. The group also discussed the future of Kahoʻolawe and Kalaupapa.