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Advocates urge DHHL to hasten awards as wait‑list frustration surfaces; staff outlines project‑lease and inventory work
Summary
At a DHHL beneficiary meeting, advocates described a 'humanitarian crisis' for people who have waited decades on the DHHL wait list and urged use of Act 279 funds and alternative delivery models; DHHL staff outlined project‑lease approaches, developer product 'buckets' and a geospatial island‑plan inventory in progress.
Beneficiaries and applicant groups pressed the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) to accelerate awards to people on the wait list, with at least one attendee saying she has waited 51 years. Residents and presenters described the long delays as a humanitarian concern and urged faster use of lands that appear vacant or unused in local inventories.
DHHL staff explained that Act 279 provided a lump‑sum allocation intended to address the wait list and expedite new homesteading; staff said the $600 million appropriation is restricted to new homesteading and cannot be used on existing homesteads or developments. Staff offered to post line‑by‑line presentations and testimony about the Act 279 allocations online for public review.
Applicants representing weight‑listers said they believe they can place beneficiaries on land faster and more affordably than current department timelines, and that they plan to pursue private and non‑DHHL funding sources to speed awards. One presenter described working with global partners to create self‑sustaining local economies that could fund infrastructure and services once a lease or disposition is granted.
On process and tools, DHHL staff described a project‑lease model the chair has discussed: the department would identify how many lots a development could yield, award project leases that remove beneficiaries from the wait list, and require developers to build a mix of housing "buckets" (turnkey, rent‑to‑own, owner‑builder, self‑help) so people do not get passed over during long development timelines. Staff said project leases are intended to be transferable and successible and that the department is piloting the approach but has not yet completed full build‑outs.
Staff also described island‑plan updates and a geospatial database under development that aim to catalogue DHHL inventory (acreages and land‑use designation) and make shape files available for public analysis. The department said the Hawaii Island plan update includes geospatial data down to quarter‑acre detail and that an online interactive inventory could be posted within one to two years assuming funding and technical work proceed.
What happens next: DHHL will capture the meeting comments in the record, post materials and testimonies as feasible, and bring the compiled report and public comments to the Hawaiian Homes Commission at the May meeting. Applicants said they are prepared to discuss partnerships and membership‑led decisions if commissioners advance a disposition or lease.
