KEKAHA, KAUA‘I, HI – October 21, 2008 – (RealEstateRama) — In Kekaha, Kaua‘i, 19 native Hawaiian families moved into their new homes today as they celebrated the completion of a project they helped to build over the last 18 months.
The Kekaha Residence Lots Unit 4 Self-Help project is part of a 49-unit, 20-acre project and all 19 families and volunteers in the self-help portion worked together to provide 60 percent of the labor needed to build each other’s home. Technical assistance was provided by Kikiaola Construction Co. for the four-bedroom, two-bath, 1,248-square-foot Honsador packaged house.
“This is probably the most satisfying project for everyone in that each family contributed not only to their own home, but to everyone else’s,” said Micah A. Kane, director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. “Sweat equity is one way we can offset the cost of the home and we would like to see more of these types of projects throughout our developments.”
“Affordability is key to homeownership and for people at 80 percent or below median income, a self-help project is a great opportunity,” said Governor Linda Lingle. “This project puts native Hawaiians on the land, but it also adds to the inventory of affordable homes on Kaua‘i and that helps everyone in the community.”
Funding for this self-help project, which included homeownership and financial training provided by Hawai‘i Island Community Development Corporation, technical assistance provided by Kikiaola, interim construction loans, low-interest permanent loans and downpayment assistance, was provided by the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant (NHHBG). NHHBG funding is authorized by the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA), which is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). More than $4.5 million of NHHBG funds was provided for a portion of the infrastructure construction cost and the self-help project.
In order to participate in this project, families needed to be at or below 80 percent of the Kaua‘i County median income. For the families at or below the 50 percent of the median income, the cost of the four-bedroom home came to $71,380. For a family at 80 percent or below median income, their four-bedroom home cost them $96,380.
More than half of the families are from Ni‘ihau and their first language is Hawaiian. Seventy-four percent of the families (14 of 19) had incomes at or below 50 percent of median income.
The remainder of the project is expected to be completed by the end of November and all 49 units will be occupied by December.
Media Contact:
Lloyd Yonenaka, Information and Community Relations Office
DHHL, Phone: (808) 754-0078, Lloyd.Yonenaka (at) hawaii (dot) gov
