Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 12, 1 December 1998 — OHA's new self-help projects [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA's new self-help projects

B y Jayson Harper

Drive through the Big Island communities of La'i'ōpua, 'Ōuli or Keaukaha and you may hear the sounds of hammering, sawing and drilling. In Hanapepe, Kaua'i, 'ohana, friends and neighbors are also hearing these sounds. OHA in cooperation with several state and private agencies including the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Habitat for

Humanity are providing funding and technical assistance to build over 100 homes in these eommunities. Driving these developments is the creation of a lowinterest loan

program from OHA. In October '97 the OHA Board moved to restructure an existing OHA Homesteader Loan Program. This loan program is serviced by First Hawaiian Bank and guaranteed by the Department

of Hawaiian Home Lands. The loan program was reorganized to include self-help housing loans at 3 percent interest. The maximum amount for eaeh loan was set at $70.000. This program offers the lowest fixed rate loan

in the nation, and for some families is the only way they are able to purchase a home. Self-help housing is a eollahorative effort between families

and project management, work ing together to plan and build homes. "Self-help housing rep resents the best example of building communities," according to OHA Housing Specialist Patti Tancayo. "Over the cours

of a year the families build their homes, often becoming very close with the other families who are involved." In addition, selfhelp projects demonstrate how families and

project management ( work together in managing budgets and purchas- ; ing materials. 1 Currently | OHA has I five self-help | projects I throughout | the islands. [ • Ho'olehua, Moloka'i, seven units. OHA

is providing loans totalling approximately $490.000. • La'i'ōpua, Hawai'i, 40-50 units. With Kōkua Housing, ine., a non-profit housing organization. OHA is working to provide e iow interest loans to finance the

construction for 40 - 50 self-help units, whieh could total $3 mil- ' lion . • 'Ōuli, Hawai'i, 15 units. In this 40-unit, self-help subdivision OHA is providing two grants totalling $124,000 to help 15 Hawaiians with project management and technical assistance. Hawaii Community Development Corporation, a non-profit housing organization, is the developer of this project. • Keaukaha-Waiākea, Hawai'i, 25 units targeted towards very low-ineome families on Hawaiian Home Lands. OHA is providing loans totaling more than $1.2 million to 25 families. • Hanapepe, Kauai, 20 units. This project is being developed by Kaua'i Habitat for Humanity. OHA is providing $400,000 in loans at 1.5 percent interest. With loan commitments and grants totally over $4.5 million, OHA is helping pave the way to quality affordable housing for Hawaiians. ■

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