The partnership between Hawaiʻi County and the HALE o Hawaiʻi Community Land Trust is opening doors to affordable housing for local families.
The Uyeda family received the keys to their new Hilo home, which marks the first finished project under the county’s partnership.
The construction of the home was possible with $300,000 given by Hawaiʻi County’s Affordable Housing Production program. It was built on land provided by HALE o Hawaiʻi's land trust.
Kehaulani Costa is the housing administrator for the Hawaiʻi County Office of Housing and Community Development.
“That's just one of many tools that we use to preserve affordable housing within our county,” Costa said. “So, it's two-fold. It's the land on one side and then it’s opportunities for affordable housing development grants, and we try to maximize with both programs if we can, just to bring that cost down.”
The land lease is provided to the families, meaning the community land trust can build or renovate the home without paying for the cost of the land, which reduces the home ownership costs for the families who move in.
The homes are also under a long-term leasehold arrangement, meaning the land is leased to Hale O Hawaiʻi for 65 years, which allows the immediate family to then inherit the lease.
