Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 12, 1 December 1987 — from the Chairman's Desk [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

from the Chairman's Desk

By Moses K. Keale Sr., OHA Chairman Trustee, Ni'ihau and Kaua'i

Sense of Satisfaction

One of the primary goals of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is to promote self-determination and self-suffici-ency among our people. That's why I feel such a real sense of satisfaction at being able to announee the receipt of federal funds by OHA for a pilot self-help housing program on Hawaiian Home Lands leased to native Hawaiians.

This is a project through whieh OHA, acting in its capacity as the principal Hawaiian coordinating agency, has been able to initiate a program whieh brings together a variety of state, national and private entities. They include the Administration for Native Americans, Federal Housing Administration, Farmers Home Administration, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Oahu Self-Help Housing Corporation.

This project, while modest at its inception, has the potential of providing a way for significant numbers of Hawaiians to own their own homes for a fraction of what it would cost to buy them on the open market. The project is remarkable for a number of reasons. It is one of the few times that "ANA", the Administration for Native Americans, has channeled funds directly to a government agency such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. And for that precedent, we say a warm "Mahalo a nui loa" to Senator Daniel K. Inouye for his considerable efforts on our behalf. In addition, it is the first time that the "team se!f-help housing method" is being utilized on Hawaiian Home Lands.

And it is the first time this type of construction will be financed by loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Here's the way it works. Between seven and 15 families will be assisting eaeh other in constructing their homes on DHHL land in Lualualei. Family members will undergo an eight-week course in home ownership skills. A construction supervisor will teach all the necessary home building techniques and will oversee all phases of the actual construction.

Eaeh family contributes 32 hours a week of labor to build the houses as a team. They perform all construction work except for electrical and plumbing eomponents. Mass construction methods are used, and with eaeh family working the same number of hours, all houses will be finished at the same time.

The homes will be high quality, three-bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, double wall constructed of Douglas fir at a cost of about $30,000. Their market value will be at least $60,000. Financing will be through the Federal Housing Administration or the Farmers Home Administration. With Farmers Home Administration loans, no down payment is required, and the interest rate is adjusted according to ineome. The average mortgage payment will eome to about $250 a month. In addition to this pilot project at Lualualei on Oahu, an additional 60 Hawaiian families are being sought to participate in similar programs on the neighbor islands.

OHA has contracted with the Oahu Self-Help Housing Corporation, a private, non-profit agency, to administer the project. The firm already has completed three successful projects consisting of 24 homes. Oahu Self-Help Housing Corporation, under Executive Director Claudia Shay, will provide all necessary services and assistance, including: • Providing blue prints, house costs and site plans. • Obtaining approvals and permits. • Recruiting eligible families. • Counseling and obtaining loans. • Teaching a home ownership course. • Instructing families in building homes through the self-help method.

Ho'olokahi for Hawaiians at Aloha Stadium