U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan told Native Hawaiian leaders Wednesday the Obama administration is committed to decreasing homelessness and increasing home ownership in their communities.

"You finally have the federal partner that you need," Donovan said, addressing more than 1,000 people gathered for the 10th annual Native Hawaiian Convention. "I know that we still have a long way to go. It’s clear … we must step up our efforts to ensure that every family, every Native Hawaiian, has a chance to win the future."

Donovan pointed to a number of programs aimed at helping Native Hawaiians, including housing block grants, and noted that homeless prevention programs and efforts to tackle repairs at public housing will also benefit the community.

He announced that despite federal budget cuts, about $13 million for Native Hawaiian housing block grants was being preserved. The program received about $13 million last federal fiscal year and $9.7 million in fiscal year 2009.

The money helps build affordable housing on Hawaiian Home Lands, and can also be spent on rehabilitation, infrastructure and support services.

The convention, a three-day event at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, is aimed at shining a light on issues facing the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community. The major discussion this year centers on efforts to increase outreach to philanthropic organizations and identify core problems that need to be addressed.

The convention coincides with several days of events scheduled by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, which is partnering with leaders at the Native Hawaiian gathering and several Hawaii organizations to discuss efforts to improve programs that offer health, housing or educational services.

Donovan pointed out in his speech that Hawaii has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the nation, and noted one-third of those on the streets are Native Hawaiians.

"This is a tragedy, and it’s one that we are determined not just to take on, but to solve," Donovan said. "We will fulfill our charge to end homelessness."

Gov. Neil Abercrombie also spoke at the convention Wednesday, pledging his administration will act in a "pono" way to help the Native Hawaiian community.

"I am here today to indicate you have a friend in the governor’s office," he said. "Pono … (is) more than just doing the correct thing. Pono has an implication of a way of living, an approach to life. This is not a passive, observational word."

Maya Soetoro-Ng, President Barack Obama’s sister, rounded out the big three who addressed the convention Wednesday, saying she hopes "you feel the support coming from my brother’s administration (and that) it is effective in helping you move forward after you name your visions. There’s plenty to do, right?"

Soetoro-Ng, co-founder of Our Public School and an associate professor at the University of Hawaii College of Education, said her family — and her brother’s family — have felt welcomed by Hawaii and have a special link to the place. When he vacations here, she said, "He’s working to understand where he came from."

Obama grew up in the islands, attending Punahou School.

The convention, sponsored by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, continues today with an address by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, along with state legislators, federal officials and local community leaders.