Hawaiians & Home: A Crisis of Place
Why This Matters
Housing, ʻĀina, and the Future of Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians are not just experiencing a housing crisis — we're facing a crisis of equity and continued connection to our ancestral ʻāina.
Today, Native Hawaiians:
Make up the largest group of individuals experiencing homelessness in Hawaiʻi
Are disproportionately priced out of the housing market in their own homeland
Are leaving Hawaiʻi in growing numbers, not by choice, but by necessity
The Native Hawaiian Diaspora: This ongoing outmigration of kanaka maoli has deep impacts. When families are separated from ʻāina, it becomes harder to raise our keiki in culture, to care for the land in the ways our kūpuna taught us, and to maintain the intergenerational knowledge systems that are inseparable from place.
Honoring Prince Kūhiō’s Vision
In 1921, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole — a royal patriot and congressional delegate — introduced the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act to ensure Native Hawaiians could return to land and build strong foundations for family, culture, and future generations.
This project, while complex, honors that mission. The Courtyards at Waipouli is one step toward restoring that vision — by returning land into the hands of Kanaka Maoli and creating affordable, secure homes for Native Hawaiian families on Kauaʻi.
See Department of Hawaiian Homelands website
About This Project
The Courtyards at Waipouli is being acquired and redeveloped to fulfill this promise. While this transition is complex and difficult — especially for current tenants — it is rooted in a greater mission: to ensure that Native Hawaiian families have a place in their homeland.
A Path Forward
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands acknowledges the weight of this transition and is committed to:
Treating all tenants fairly
Upholding federal relocation protections
And most importantly — creating housing opportunities for Native Hawaiians