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Beneficiaries press DHHL on waitlist, loan guarantees and property-tax assistance
Summary
Beneficiaries and partners urged DHHL to accelerate land activation and offer financing and tax-relief options: a Native CDFI asked to raise DHHL loan-guarantee caps and restructure delinquencies, while waitlister advocates asked the Commission to advance a waitlister pilot and clarify property-tax assistance for lessees with delinquencies.
Multiple beneficiaries and a native community development financial institution presented proposals to the Hawaiian Homes Commission to expand homebuilding options, help lessees with delinquent loans or property taxes, and accelerate land activation for those on waitlists.
Jeff Gilbreath, CEO of Hawaii Community Lending (a Native CDFI), described programs that use DHHL loan guarantees to make low-cost mortgages and home-repair loans available to beneficiaries. He asked the Commission to support raising the DHHL loan-guarantee cap (to mobilize private capital), to consider transferring delinquent direct loans to a servicer that could perform loan modifications, to shorten permitting timelines and to sign MOUs that codify partnerships. "DHHL's loan guarantee has helped our financial institution attract $35 million in private investments," Gilbreath said.
Advocates for a waitlister beneficiary program (including Keppa Kaʻeō and others) called for a formal path to reduce a reported statewide waitlist of beneficiaries and proposed revenue-generation ideas and pilot projects using unmanaged land inventory. Several speakers asked the Commission to place a formal waitlister item on a future F-agenda and to support options that help long-waiting beneficiaries gain access to land now.
On property taxes, some long-time lessees said delinquent taxes are being used to block lease transfers. DHHL staff responded that leases require lessees to pay real-property taxes after a seven-year exemption period and described an assistance program (Catholic Charities Homana) that can sometimes help cover delinquent amounts.
Why it matters: witnesses framed these steps as necessary to reduce a large beneficiary waitlist, make homeownership affordable for low- and moderate-income lessees, and prevent lease cancellations for families in arrears.
DHHL response: staff said these are active policy and program areas and that staff would review partnership proposals and the delinquency-assistance options; the Commission did not vote on legislative or programmatic changes at the meeting.
