Coming Home: Exploring Solutions for Native Hawaiian Housing

Hey everyone! I'm back in Hawaii for about 10 days, mainly to celebrate my nephew's high school graduation (a HUGE deal here!). Being home stirs up all kinds of feelings, from the joy of seeing family to the comfort of familiar places. But there's also that twinge of sadness knowing that for so many of us Hawaiians, moving back home feels like chasing an impossible dream.

The Reality Check

I've been in Seattle for years now as a realtor with Compass, helping folks find homes across Western Washington. I keep meeting Hawaiians in Washington who all tell me the same thing: "I'd move back home tomorrow if I could afford it."

The numbers just don't add up for most of us. Oahu's median home prices have shot past $1 million, and the cost of living is insane. This harsh reality keeps many Native Hawaiians away from the lands our ancestors called home. And it goes deeper than missing the beaches or local food (though I definitely miss those too!). It's about losing our connection to culture, family, and our sense of place.

Meeting with Local Realtors: Beyond Networking

While I'm here, I've arranged to meet with a few local realtors. I'm definitely looking for good referral partners - I meet so many Hawaiian families in Washington who dream of moving back home, and I want to connect them with awesome agents who can help make that happen. But that's not my only goal.

I want to understand what's really happening with affordable housing initiatives, especially ones focused on Native Hawaiians. There's this one realtor I'm excited to meet who knows a lot about Hawaiian Home Lands. I've known about this program my whole life, and my mom actually qualifies for it, but she never needed to put her name on the list because my parents were able to purchase a fee-simple home back in the 80s. I've never really gotten into all the details of how the program works, though, and I'm curious to learn more.

Hawaiian Home Lands: The Basics

If you're not familiar, Hawaiian Home Lands came from the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, which Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole fought for. The program set aside around 200,000 acres across the islands for Native Hawaiian homesteading.

The concept was straightforward but vital: help Native Hawaiians return to their ancestral lands and preserve cultural ties that started disappearing after the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown and the U.S. annexed the islands.

Through this program, eligible Native Hawaiians (those with at least 50% Hawaiian blood quantum) can get 99-year land leases for practically nothing, often just $1 yearly. They can build homes on these lots or sometimes move into ready-built developments. Their children can inherit the lease if they have at least 25% Hawaiian ancestry.

The Good Intentions and Hard Realities

On paper, Hawaiian Home Lands sounds incredible. For families who've gotten leases, it has changed their lives. It gives them stability and housing costs they can actually manage in Hawaii's crazy market.

But the more I dig into it, the more I see how this well-intentioned program falls short of creating true generational wealth and lasting solutions.

First, there's the waitlist problem. Over 28,000 Native Hawaiians are currently waiting for leases, with some waiting their entire lives. People literally die while still on this waitlist. That's not exaggeration, that's reality.

Then there's the blood quantum issue. While children with 25% Hawaiian ancestry can inherit the lease, that still creates challenges for future generations as families continue to intermarry. This disrupts the potential for building lasting family wealth.

Many available lots are also in remote areas or don't have proper infrastructure, making them hard or impossible to develop without major investment, money that most Native Hawaiian families simply don't have.

A Band-Aid on a Deeper Wound

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the concept of Hawaiian Home Lands and the opportunities it has created. But it feels like a band-aid on a much deeper wound.

True homeownership builds equity you can pass down and leverage. Leasehold arrangements with blood quantum requirements don't offer that same opportunity. They don't let Native Hawaiian families truly change their financial futures.

Meanwhile, the housing crisis worsens. More Native families leave, unable to afford staying or coming back. And what's actually being built here? Not affordable housing for local families. Instead, we're seeing luxury developments popping up everywhere, properties sitting vacant for most of the year, and an explosion of short-term vacation rentals taking up housing that residents could be living in. That's a whole other conversation, but these issues definitely need to be addressed as part of any real solution.

Looking for Better Solutions

I'm not just here to criticize. I want to help find better solutions. During this trip, I'm asking questions and learning everything I can about what works and what doesn't.

I've heard about some promising alternatives:

• Community land trusts designed specifically for Native Hawaiian communities that keep collective stewardship of the land while letting families build equity

• Programs creating paths to actual fee-simple ownership instead of just leasehold arrangements

• Housing developments that include cultural and entrepreneurial spaces

• Policies to limit vacation rentals and vacant investment properties to free up housing for residents

My goal is multi-faceted. Yes, I want to build a referral network so I can help Native Hawaiian families in Washington who dream of moving back. But more importantly, I want to be part of creating truly affordable housing in Hawaii that helps Native Hawaiians build generational wealth through actual homeownership, not restrictive leasehold arrangements.

The Deeper Meaning

This isn't just about real estate or housing policy for me. It's personal. Every time I visit home, I wonder if I'll ever be able to return for good. I think about what it would mean for my family's future if we could build equity and wealth here, on our ancestral lands.

As I help clients find homes in Washington, I'm constantly reminded of how homeownership transforms financial futures. I want that same opportunity for Native Hawaiian families who've been pushed from their lands over generations.

So as I celebrate my nephew's graduation this week, a major milestone and source of family pride, I'm also thinking about what kind of Hawaii he'll inherit and whether it'll be a place where he can afford to build his future. With luxury developments replacing local housing and vacation rentals taking over neighborhoods, the challenges are real. That's what drives my interest in these issues and why I'm determined to learn all I can during this trip home.

I'll keep you posted on what I learn from these meetings with local realtors and housing experts. And if you have experiences with Hawaiian Home Lands or other affordable housing initiatives in Hawaii, I'd love to hear your perspective in the comments.

Written with the help of AI. Organized, researched, drafted and edited by Samantha.