Hawaiian Homes Commission approves one-year pilot allowing indigent beneficiary to occupy Lualulei parcel

On Tuesday, Dec. 17, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) Hawaiian Homes Commission approved a one-year indigent Native Hawaiian homesteading pilot and issued a 12-month right of entry to an applicant, Dimont Manaole, to test whether an indigent beneficiary could establish a sustainable on‑land presence and potentially progress to a homestead lease.

The pilot, approved by a 7–2 vote, directs DHHL staff to work with the participant to clear and secure a two‑acre portion of a four‑acre parcel in Lualualei, Oʻahu, and to report back to the commission. Commissioners framed the vote as a limited experiment intended to develop program rules, benchmarks and applicant eligibility for a cohort of beneficiaries who cannot qualify for traditional loan‑backed offerings.

Commissioners and staff emphasized the pilot is exploratory. Julie (planning staff) told commissioners the project is “designed to allow the department to develop policy, procedure and program elements that provide individual homesteading opportunities to indigent Native Hawaiian applicants.” The pilot’s…