Sign of things to come: Lorraine Rapozo, Winnie Cummings and Amanda Kaleiohi are helping to bring a new resource center providing homeownership and financial education services to Anahola homestead. Photo courtesy Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement

Anahola homestead to gain a homeownership center

By Ka Wai Ola Loa staff

Homeownership and foreclosure-prevention services will be coming to Anahola, Kaua'i through a planned homeownership resource center set to open in 2009. The Anahola Homeownership Resource Center will be housed at Anahola Hawaiian Homes Association's offices at the entrance to the homestead community and will offer services to families and residents.

"This has been a vision of our board for some time, something that we know will help our families have access to the resources and expertise they need," said Lorraine Rapozo, Anahola Hawaiian Homes Association president. "It's truly the result of partnerships and different individuals and organizations working with us to make this a reality in Anahola."

Hawaiian Community Assets will operate the homeownership resource center and provide financial education and foreclosure-prevention help to Anahola families.

"This could not have come at a better time," said Michelle Kauhane of HCA, a Native Hawaiian nonprofit. "Families all across the state are facing serious challenges to keeping their homes and finding solutions that help them right now. The leadership at (Anahola Hawaiian Homes Association) makes our work possible in Anahola. We could not be more pleased to put staffing and services in at the Anahola Homeownership Resource Center. It's truly a godsend."

Since 2003, the homestead association has helped bring meaningful services to Anahola, including a technology enterprise that has trained and employed a dozen residents.

In 2001, Kaua'i County under then-Mayor Bryan Baptiste awarded the association its first grant to buy offices from the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Rapozo said. "Nothing could have happened without that first step, and all of the encouragement we received so many years ago from the county and DHHL," she said.

The association is revamping its offices to accommodate the new services through a grant under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act. The Anahola Homeownership Resource Center will open with funding support from DHHL and the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department.

"Aunty Lorraine (Rapozo), Aunty Winnie (Cummings) and Aunty Amanda (Kaleiohi) at AHHA are amazing Anahola women, no question," said Robin Danner, CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, which helped implement the project and provided grant guidance.

The Anahola homestead association was founded more than three decades ago to promote the quality of life of the Anahola community.

For information on the Anahola Homeownership Resource Center, call Hawaiian Community Assets on O'ahu at (808) 587-7886.