HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands now has more time to get Native Hawaiian families off the long waiting list for home ownership.
Governor Josh Green signed Senate Bill 3109 on Friday, giving DHHL another two years to use $600 million in legislative funding.
$471 million has already been spent on housing construction, including the completion of 52 apartments in Waikapu on Maui last week.
The ministry said further projects are being planned to help people who have been waiting far too long.
“We plan to create nearly 6,000 additional homesteads, so it’s a very active program. We’re not done yet. We’re aggressively pursuing federal funds and other funding sources,” said Kali Watson, director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
The governor added: “You know, a lot of people think it’s easy, but it’s hard. But we want to make sure that the beneficiaries just get their land.”
On Friday, Green also signed 12 other bills that impact Native Hawaiian communities.
One of these agreements provides $3.5 million to hire additional Department of Education teachers for Hawaiian language immersion programs, and another calls for the Hawaii Department of Tourism to now develop a plan that emphasizes sustainable tourism throughout the state.
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