Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

Governor Ige with members of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, DHHL staff, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Left-Right: Oriana Leao, DHHL Staff; Hulu Lindsey, Trustee Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Tyler Iokepa Gomes, Deputy to the Chair – DHHL; Zachary Helm, Hawaiian Homes Commission – Molokaʻi Commissioner; William J. Ailā, Jr, Hawaiian Homes Commission – Chair; Rodney Lau, DHHL Staff; Lehua Kinilau-Cano, DHHL Staff; Juan Garcia, DHHL Staff; Cedric Duarte, DHHL Staff.

For Immediate Release

July 11, 2022

Chair Ailā Statement on Signing of HB2511

(Kapolei, Oʻahu) – Hawaiian Homes Commission Chair William J. Ailā, Jr. issued the following statement following Gov. Ige’s signing of HB2511 into law as Act 279. The measure appropriates $600 million to serve beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.

“This commitment is the most consequential allocation of funding for the implementation of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act in its 100-year history. Sufficient funding to develop the raw landholdings of the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust has been elusive for decades. Today’s signing marks a turning of the page from this dark past to a brighter future for native Hawaiians.

“The measure will allow the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to expedite the construction of thousands of new homestead lots and housing units throughout the state. DHHL will also leverage its federal funding and trust assets to expand housing services to beneficiaries including down-payment assistance, rental subsidies, and expanded financial literacy education. These resources offer us an aggressive way forward. I thank the legislature for their bold decision making and Gov. Ige for his acknowledgment and support of the promises made to native Hawaiians.”

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About the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands:
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands carries out Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole’s vision of rehabilitating native Hawaiians by returning them to the land. Established by U.S. Congress in 1921, with the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, the Hawaiian homesteading program run by DHHL includes management of over 200,000 acres of land statewide with the specific purpose of developing and delivering homesteading.

Media Contact:
Cedric Duarte
Information and Community Relations Officer
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
(808) 620-9591
[email protected]