Quality Housing

Leveraging partnerships to ensure Native Hawaiians can obtain affordable rentals as well as homeownership while also engaging in opportunities to affect legislation that support Hawaiian Home Lands, overall housing costs, and housing supply will greatly enhance the ability for Native Hawaiians who so desire to remain in Hawaiʻi.

Strategy 5: Advance policies, programs and practices that strengthen Hawaiian resource management knowledge and skills to meet the housing needs of their ʻohana.

• 5.1. Increased numbers/ percent of Native Hawaiians who rent housing that meets their ʻohana’s financial and well-being needs
• 5.2. Increased numbers/ percent of Native Hawaiians who own housing that meets their ʻohana’s financial and well-being needs
• 5.3. Increased safety, stability, social support networks, and cultural connection in Native Hawaiian communities

Strategy 6:  Support implementation of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and other efforts to meet the housing needs of ʻohana.

• 6.1. Increased affordable non-traditional housing options (ADUs/ tiny houses, large multi-generational lots or homes) in communities of ʻohanaʻs choice;
• 6.2. Increased housing unit supply on Hawaiian Home Lands; and
• 6.3. Decreased rate of Native Hawaiian ʻohana out of state migration.

To help boost Hawai‘i’s homeownership rate, OHA has focused on helping more Native Hawaiians achieve housing stability.

Families who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care. An estimated 51 percent of Native Hawaiians who rent their homes fall into this category.

In response, OHA has set its sights on laying important groundwork for increasing homeownership and housing stability among renters within the Native Hawaiian community.

The goal is to help more Native Hawaiians become creditworthy and better at managing finances. For OHA, this is part of a broader focus on encouraging self-sufficiency by helping more Native Hawaiian families become financially viable and put down roots that strengthens communities across the state.