Government can rationalize almost anything, but a home lands agency that delivers no homes is a stretch, even by government standards.
In this instance, the state agency is the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. The federal law authorizing its mission is quickly approaching its centennial. The fact that a century can go by, leaving an unsatisfying record of achievement, is what would make this story fascinating, had it not been such a sad tale.
The agency historically has lagged terribly at addressing its waiting list of Native Hawaiian beneficiaries, now numbering 22,000, about half of them on Oahu.
But its latest annual posting was particularly dismal. For the fiscal year that ended June 30, no new housing units were built, and $30 million in federal housing funds went unspent.
And this failure to encumber the funds in the interest of their beneficiaries is indefensible, considering that it’s an ongoing pattern. During his administration, then-President Barack Obama cut and then zeroed out that allotment for Native Hawaiians, noting the unspent balance.
The bottom line — and it’s remained so for almost 100 years — is that Native Hawaiians expect DHHL to deliver on what is promised in the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920. That means housing, by any reasonable interpretation of the law, which was incorporated in the Hawaii Constitution as part of statehood.
And there are options that have been tapped insufficiently, if at all. For the past 20 years, DHHL has been authorized under an amendment to the federal law to pursue multifamily and rental projects, as well as single-family homes.
Rent-to-own — units whose tenants build equity and have an option to buy — has been tried and could be expanded as an approach, targeting those earning well below the median income and the threshold to qualify for home loans. DHHL earned praise for its pilot rent-to-own project in Kapolei, Hoolimalima.
But really, that kind of innovation should be past the pilot stage by now. Many more of those homes are needed, and soon.
And in an economy offering scant supply of affordable rentals, advocates for beneficiaries underscore the wisdom of providing a straight rental option as well.
Robin Puanani Danner chairs the statewide beneficiaries coalition, the Sovereign Councils of the Hawaiian Homelands Assembly, and also heads a construction nonprofit specializing in small housing units that could be put on a homestead lot. But rentals make sense as a way to extend service to those on the lowest income rung.
Jobie Masagatani directs DHHL and chairs the Hawaiian Homes Commission. She said the agency is pursuing rentals, especially projects built in high-rise configurations in areas that allow greater density.
In a report by Honolulu Star-Advertiser writer Nanea Kalani, Masagatani rightly observed that the transit-oriented development allowances of the Honolulu rail system would enable DHHL to leverage its resources with those economies of scale. And she cited the application of some federal funds to other programs, including homeowner financing and infrastructure, as well as the issuance of leases on empty lots.
But again, DHHL could have realized at least some of the high-rise potential in sites away from the rail line. It has missed the opportunity to cut its waiting list significantly, with so many of those people wanting homes on Oahu.
Many Hawaiian families could make use of houseless lots but they have the right to expect more from DHHL. If the agency is transitioning, as Masagatani said, toward prepping property for development and away from the buildout, there are nonprofits and companies ready to build the houses.
More such partnerships must be struck, and quickly. The current pace of service is simply unacceptable.
