Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 4, 1 April 1994 — Homesteaders take out OHA housing loans [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Homesteaders take out OHA housing loans

by Jeff Clark It was all smiles and mahalos at First Hawaiian Bank's Bishop Street penthouse March 3 when three Hawaiian homesteaders signed their agreements for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Home Improvement Loans. Winona Kaawa, Julia Kama, and Mary Kay signed the palapala as OHA chairman Clayton Hee, First Hawaiian chairman and chief executive officer Walter Dods, Jr., and Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) director Ho'aliku Drake beamed. Initiated by OHA's board of trustees, the program makes available to homesteaders loans of up

to $50,000 for home improvements and up to $20.000 for down payments on finished homes. OHA provides money for a $10 million revolving loan fund, DHHL guarantees the loans, and the program is administered by First Hawaiian Bank. (For further details on the loans, see the March issue of Ka Wai Ola O OHA, or eall your nearest First

Hawaiian branch.) "This is a happy occasion for

us," Moloka'i resident Winona Kaawa said. A part-time finance

e o m p a n y employee, she and her husband Edwin, a firefighter, live on the Ho'olehua Homestead in a 64-year-old house. It's time for some "major renovations," she said, whieh means re-doing their kitchen and bathroom. The floors are

rotten and the termites have done a lot of damage, but Kaawa said the situation

isn't really dangerous - "We know what parts to step and where not to step." Her opinion on the termites? "Hey, they gotta eat," she laughed. Termites have also been eating their fill at the home of Mary Kay, who has lived on Waimānalo Homestead for two decades. In addition to the ter-mite-damage renovation, Kay also plans to re-do her bathrooms, fix the roof and give the home a new coat of paint. Julia Kama, a Waimānalo homesteader for 45 years, is using her loan to put up some fencing around her yard. Introducing her daughter, also named Julia, Kama said "it was through her help" that she was able to successfully apply. The younger Julia shrugged off the credit. "She told me what she wanted to do, and we just wen' do 'em," she said. Going through the application process took "half an hour but about two days' worth of stress," she added. She acknowledged real estate loan officer Wonda Mae Agpalsa with providing kōkua, because "sometimes you don't know what to do and you need advice. She's real good." Not on hand but also closing loans were Louis and Phy 11 is Pakele of Wai'anae and William and Faith Chu of Hilo. Said Hee, "We could not be happier than we are today. It's been a long time in coming. ... and I want to emphasize that this is just the beginning. We have already entered into informal dis-

cussions about providing home construction (loans). I personally have talked to Mama Drake and Wonda Agpalsa about extending these kinds of opportunities to Hawaiians who are not fortunate enough to live on homestead land, that they should be given those opportunities, and we certainly

want to make that possible. ... These are opportunities and ehallenges whieh we look forward to, because this is an example of what we ean do together in government with (the) private sector, and of what we ean do together as continued on page 14

OHA chairman Clayton Hee chats with Eawin Kaawa as Winona Kaawa signs off on a loan to make improvements to their property on Ho'olehua Homestead. Photo by Patrick Johnston

Clockwise from bottom: loan recipient Mary Kay, daughter Gloria Gouveia, and mo'opuna Aaron Estavillo. Photo by Patrick Johnston

Clockwise from bottom: loan recipient Julia Kama, brother-in-law Jacob Keliikuli, and daughter Julia Kama. Photo by Patrick Johnston

OHA homestead loans

from page 7 Hawaiians. This really is a time to eome together and not to be divided among eaeh other, so I could not be happier." Drake thanked Dods and Hee and the OHA board for implementing the program, but also credited the homesteaders themselves. "Most important are the people who first applied, who were willing to apply and willing to eome forward and apply for the loans. And I would like to congratulate them." "Home ownership and the remodeling of one's home present a financial challenge to most families. Here in Hawai'i, that ehallenge ean be insurmountable for many," Dods said, noting that because of this OHA-DHHL-First Hawaiian partnership, "more native Hawaiians will be able to make the dream of ownership and home improvement a reality. "Ours is a partnership of purpose and progress. ... We hope this is the beginning of a very successful, continuing process of helping native Hawaiians achieve their dreams."