Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 12, 1 December 2003 — Senate earmarks Home Lands money [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Senate earmarks Home Lands money

On Nov. 18, the U.S. Senate earmarked $11 million for two programs intended to increase the number of Native Hawaiians on Hawaiian homesteads. According to a release from Sen. Daniel Inouye's office, the federal monies will go to assisting Native Hawaiians in reaching their goal of home ownership on Hawaiian Home Lands. Inouye, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said that this is the third annual increment for these programs, making the total investment level to date in excess of $30 million. The bill would allocate $10 million to the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant Program, whieh was authorized under the Hawaiian Home Lands Homeownership Act of 2000. The program provides grants to the State of Hawai'i's Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for assistance in developing and operating affordable housing for eligible low-ineome Native Hawaiian families. The Native Hawaiian Housing Loan Guarantee Fund program, whieh would receive $1 million, was created to provide private financing for Native Hawaiians who could not acquire other financing because of the unique status of Hawaiian Home Lands as trust lands. The $1 million in subsidies support a loan guarantee level of $39 million.

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