Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 7, 1 July 2014 — Loan from OHA helps pay for home repairs that keep family intact [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Loan from OHA helps pay for home repairs that keep family intact

By Harold Nedd For hunter, fisherman and carpenter Yama Kaholo'a'a, his list of feats since moving to Moloka'i more than 30 years ago is as long as it is varied, including teaching teens from broken homes survival skills in the island's rugged rainforests, building his four-bedroom house by himself and raising seven children. But gaining legal custody of three granddaughters remains the triumph that this 68-year-old resident of the Ho'olehua homestead is genuinely most excited about. With an emergency $7,500 loan from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kaholo'a'a, who has 26 grandchildren, was able to make the home improvements that Child Welfare Services made a condition for giving him custody of three granddaughters and keeping them out of Hawai'i's foster care system. "My grandchildren mean everything to me," Kaholo'a'a said during a eonversation in his garage before a June 18 community meeting on Moloka'i hosted by OHA trustees. "Without that OHA loan, I don't get the ehanee I have today, whieh is to create a more stable life for three of

my granddaughters." Kaholo'a'a is among more than 400 Native Hawaiian consumers who have borrowed an estimated $2 million from OHA's often-overlooked emergency loan program since it was created in 2005. Called the "Consumer Micro-Loan Program, it was created for Native Hawaiians who are experiencing temporary hnaneial hardship due

to unforeseen circumstances. The program makes up to $7,500 in low-interest loans available to Native Hawaiian consumers to pay for emergencies ranging from auto and home repairs to funeral and legal expenses. Kaholo'a'a used the loan mainly to fix a roof that leaked and install windows that keep mosquitoes away. More importantly, the home repairs allowed him to comply fully with federal child-welfare standards designed to protect kids like his granddaughters - 14-year-old Makaila, 13-year-old Shandalyn and 15-months-old Caroline - from neglect and abuse. For Makaila, whose extra-curric-ular pursuits include volleyball and softball, the home repairs bring with

them the promise of stability in her life, whieh is enriched by a grandmother, Caroline, who she describes as "caring and funny" and a grandfather that she said "never says no" and takes her everywhere, including diving for prawns and other seafood in his 33-foot boat. "Without my grandparents, I would feel sad and lost," Makaila said. "I don't think I ean handle not being with them." ■

Consumer MicroLoan Program

This program is designed to provide low-cost loans to Native Hawaiians who are experiencing temporary financial hardship due to unforeseen events, or who wishto enhanee their careers. For more information on CMLP, visit www.oha.org/ emlp orcontact consumer micro-loan officer Lareina Meineeke at lareinam@ oha.org or (808) 594-1823.

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Yama Kaholo'a'a shares a moment at home with the three granddaughters he and his wife, Caroline, are raising. From left are Shandalyn, 1 3, Caroline, 1 5 months, and Makaila, 1 4. - Photo: OHA Communications