Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 8, 1 August 1999 — Kuʻu home i Kawaihae [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kuʻu home i Kawaihae

By Paula Durbln HOW MUCH does it cost to build a 900-square-foot house on 15,000 square feet of spectacular beachfront property in Kawaihae? Alana and Vernal Peleiholani paid just $42,000, thanks to an inherited hom-

stead lot and a revolving, affordable, self-help project developed by the Gibson Foundation, a nonprofit corporation in Hilo that focuses on the education, nutrition, health and housing needs of Hawaiians Like many young island couples, the Peleiholanis thought home ownership might be an impossible dream, especially considering their circumstances. With three children to support, they needed more than one paycheck just to make ends meet, let alone qualify for a mortgage in high-priced Hawai'i. Vernal, however, had injured his back in 1985, while the eouple was living on the mainland, and,when he eame home in 1992, he had trouble doing the kind of physical labor he had always relied on. Despite muhiple denials when they applied for a mortgage, the Peleiholani 'ohana remained committed to its goal, in part because of the hopes for the family Vernal's father had expressed while he was still alive. After 21 years on the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands wait list, the senior Peleiholani was finally awarded the Kawaihae lot in 1985. But by the time DHHL had the infrastructure ready five years later, he was gone and another six years would pass before construction would be permitted. When it was, DHHL gave its Kawaihae lessees a year in whieh to build. "We didn't know how we would manage,"

said Alana, "but we [ weren't giving up atkjg that point. My father-in-law had * waited so lone for the

lot he left to my husband. ^££3 He had always said he wanted his grandchildren to benefit from it."

Īhrough relatives, the eouple was referred to the Gibson Foundation's whose executive director Mililani Trask, now an Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee, helped them buy some time with DHHL. Trask then applied for and received a DHHL grant to design the affordable structures the foundation would use to address the housing needs of many Hawaiians. In the meanhme, Alana found a position as a legal secretary and the eouple secured the necessary financing and signed on enough friends willing to donate their labor to qualify for the program. When construction started in June 1998, Vernal opted to live at the site while the family remained in rented quarters in Hilo. "The separation was hard on us," Alana admitted. "And there were setbacks with the volunteers. Because of the long drive from Hilo, things didn't always work out." But the one-bedroom home, whieh includes a living room, bath, kitchen, laundry room and enclosed garage, was

i^^^^ready by oeptember. "My

husband is quite proud because he did most of the building," Alana said. "Hopefully we ean add on and make the yard a little smaller and the house a little bigger." The plans for the expanded one-bed-room model the Peleiholanis selected, along with those for one, two and threebedroom units all pre-approved by the County of Hawaii, are available at Hilo Drafting, 45 Pōhaku Street, Suite 102 (935-9116). The $250 cost includes a drawing of the site plan and three sets of blueprints, but not for the cesspool and septic tank whieh ean be arranged separately. The structural engineering fee is an additional $200. "The Gibson Foundation is seeking another Big Island DHHL lessee to assist," said Trustee Trask. The applicant must build in an area with infrastructure, qualify for a low-interest loan and demonstrate a commitment to selfhelp. Those interested should eall Renee in Hilo at 961-2888. ■

[?]

PHOTOS: JAYSON HARPĒR The Peleiholani 'ohana at home.

PHOĪO: JAYSON HARPER