Reducing the Hawaiian homestead waitlist: DHHL on track to award 2,600+ leases in 2025

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

The awards schedule outlined reflects DHHL’s strategy to address its waitlist. This includes a variety of homesteading options and opportunities across the state such as project leases, turnkey homes, rent-with-option-to-purchase units and agricultural and scattered lots.

The department is actively developing 29 projects. Awards for the following homestead projects are as follows:

In March, a total of 665 project leases were awarded for two homestead developments in West Oʻahu – Kaʻuluokahaʻi and Kaupeʻa. In April, 91 homestead awards were offered as part of Puʻuhona Phase II along with 390 project leases for Laʻi ʻŌpua and Kailapa in West Hawaiʻi.

“The department is making remarkable progress in reducing its long-standing waitlist and improving the lives of our Native Hawaiian families across our state,” said Gov. Josh Green, M.D. “My administration continues to work alongside DHHL on its initiatives and will remain committed to supporting all innovative solutions put forward.”

In line with the department’s strategic approach to awarding homestead lots, project leases serve as a vital avenue to homeownership, offering two significant advantages to lease holders: the opportunity to secure a lease prior to the completion of a homestead development and the right to transfer their lease to a qualified successor with a blood quantum of at least 25%.

“This is a pivotal moment for DHHL as we deliver on long-awaited housing opportunities for thousands of beneficiaries and their ʻohana,” said DHHL Director Kali Watson. “The department will persist in exploring viable housing initiatives that serve our communities today and grow to meet the needs of the many generations to come.”

Act 279, the transformational $600 million allocation of general funds awarded to the department in 2022 by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature is key in the development of 1,509 homes in 2025. In 2026, work on 737 homes will begin using Act 279 funding. In addition to new developments, Act 279 funds facilitate the acquisition of new lands and the construction of infrastructure necessary to each project’s success.

“Each homestead project represents a chance to fulfill the commitment made by Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole over a century ago – to return Hawaiians to the land,” Watson said. “DHHL will continue to partner with Governor Green and our legislative and county leaders to create pathways for our beneficiaries to establish communities, demonstrating meaningful outcomes can be achieved through collaboration.”