By Victoria Budiono

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For thousands of Native Hawaiians, the dream of owning a home has long been limited by eligibility rules and high costs.

A new initiative by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs aims to change that. The Access to Home Ownership program, known as AHO, was created to offer a pathway to first-time home ownership for Native Hawaiian residents through conventional loans backed by OHA guarantees.

The program, launched with $1.5 million in funding for loan guarantees and an additional $3 million approved for the next two fiscal years, removes some of the largest financial barriers to buying a home, including high down payments and private mortgage insurance.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, which provides homestead leases to qualified Native Hawaiians, currently has roughly 29,000 people on its wait list, many of whom meet the program’s 50% blood quantum requirement. Those who fall short yet still identify as Hawaiian have faced few options to purchase a home in a state with some of the highest housing prices in the nation.

Dane Fujiwara, 39, a part-Hawaiian math teacher at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama campus, and his wife had long hoped to own a home but did not meet DHHL’s blood quantum requirement and never had the financial wherewithal until OHA announced the AHO program in March.

In June, the couple, who have two children, ages 6 and 2, purchased a two-bedroom, one-bath, two-story townhouse in Kahaluu for $450,000. The roughly 830-square-foot home includes two parking stalls — a rare convenience for many first-time buyers in Hawaii.

“It popped up on my social media feed that OHA was announcing this new program,” Fujiwara recalled. “I called right away, and even though it was stressful, it was a wonderful opportunity. We’re just regular folk trying our best to stay home and raise our ohana here, and this program made that possible.”

Fujiwara said that without AHO and similar programs, homeownership would have remained out of reach for his family.

“We’re extremely fortunate to have opportunities like this,” he said. “Moving away was never a question for us. We’ve committed ourselves to the kuleana of being home and raising our family here, whatever the cost may be.”

THE AHO program’s financial structure addresses two major obstacles for first-time homeowners: mustering a downpayment and mortgage insurance. Through AHO, borrowers can purchase a home with as little as 3% down instead of the conventional 20%, and OHA guarantees portions of the loan that normally require private mortgage insurance.

Insurance typically costs several hundred dollars per month, but under AHO, beneficiaries like Fujiwara save approximately $350 to $500 monthly — often the difference between qualifying for a loan or not.

Poni Askew, program manager for OHA, said the initiative is already showing strong momentum.

“Our program is providing opportunities, especially for first-time homeowners,” she said. “The average homes being purchased are townhouses and condos, which are entry level, but it’s a pivotal moment when people decide if they can afford to stay here or not.”

Askew emphasized that AHO is not a direct downpayment assistance program.

“It’s sort of like when you ask your mom or dad to sign on a loan,” she explained. “They usually have to put up some kind of collateral. OHA is putting up our bank account as that collateral. At the end of the day, we’re not giving beneficiaries money, we’re guaranteeing the loan.”

Funds for the program are “encumbered,” meaning they remain in OHA’s
account and are used as collateral for the bank until the homeowner pays down 20% of the mortgage.

Once that milestone is reached, the money is released back into OHA’s account and can be used to help another family. This revolving structure allows the program to continually support new borrowers without additional appropriation, making it a sustainable tool for home ownership access.

The program is open to applicants earning up to 140% of the area median income, with thresholds varying by household size and county. Unlike DHHL, which restricts eligibility based on blood quantum, AHO is available to all Native Hawaiians, expanding opportunities for those who have historically been excluded from homestead programs.

As of mid-September, 18 home buyers had been approved statewide under the program, with interest expressed by 467 beneficiaries.

Homes purchased so far are located on Oahu, Hawaii island, Maui and Molokai; no Kauai participants have enrolled yet. Types of properties vary from single–family homes to townhouses and apartments, offering flexibility for families of different income levels and household sizes.

ASKEW SAID OHA is looking to expand the program’s support beyond the loan guarantee itself.

“Not everyone is ready for homeownership immediately,” she said. “We’re exploring financial literacy classes and partnerships for downpayment grants, so that when we layer those programs together, it creates a trifecta of support that empowers beneficiaries to become future homeowners.”

For Fujiwara, the program has already provided a transformative opportunity. Beyond the financial benefits, the experience
of navigating the home-
-buying process has been educational.

“I had no prior knowledge of real estate and learning as we went was challenging, but it helped a lot,” he said. “We were able to prepare our documents, understand the credit requirements and, ultimately, with OHA’s help, buy a home with manageable payments.”

He said he hopes other Native Hawaiians, young and old, take advantage of similar opportunities.

“This program gave my family a fighting chance,” Fujiwara said. “All we can ask for is a fighting chance, and OHA provided that. We want to keep Hawaiians home, raising our families here, and programs like this make that possible.”

Askew said the AHO program is a milestone for the agency, which historically has provided grants to support housing initiatives but had not previously created a program of its own designed to directly guarantee loans for Native Hawaiians.

As Hawaii continues to struggle with high housing costs and limited inventory, the program is not a panacea. But for families like the Fujiwaras, it is a chance to remain in their communities, purchase a home at a manageable cost and secure a foundation for the next generation.

“We are super privileged and super honored, very fortunate to have gotten the assistance,” Fujiwara said. “Now we can say we’re homeowners.”