With the theme “Building Solutions for Hawai‘i’s Housing Crisis,” Hawai‘i Community Lending held its annual meeting, Hui Waiwai, on Jan. 23, 2025. More than 150 families and homeowners, HCL investors and employees, executives and business and community partners gathered on the lawn at The Bishop Museum for an evening of speeches, awards, live local music and food. All proceeds from the event—totaling more than $37,000—go to support housing for local and Hawaiian families.
In his keynote address, HCL Board President Billy Pieper shared his vision for housing Hawaiian families, using a football analogy to illustrate the importance of taking action. “Nobody watches a football game to see the huddle; we watch because we want to see the plays,” Pieper said. “In Hawai‘i, we’ve been huddling for a long time trying to come up with solutions to address our housing crisis. It’s time to start running some plays.”
According to Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath, HCL’s accomplishments from the past year include making 394 grants and loans totaling $15.3 million.
“Together with our funders, investors and partners, we helped 241 families build, buy and save homes from foreclosure in the last year,” Gilbreath said. “These impacts have changed the trajectory of families’ lives, changed the capacity of nonprofit developers to build affordable housing, and changed the housing system to be more responsive to the needs of our local people.”
HCL board members Kawena Beaupré and Jaclyn Kaina presented the 2024 Impact Investor of the Year Award to the Stupski Foundation, citing “their commitment to the health and well-being of the communities through housing and for helping to inspire others to invest.” Stupski made two separate investments of $3 million and $2 million to support the launch of HCL’s Kapili Construction Loan Program, which has now grown to $13 million with additional investments from Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, American Savings Bank and Rural Community Assistance Corporation.
“Our Kapili Construction Loans are zero-down loans at 6% interest that HCL uses to fund native Hawaiians, helping them build homes on Hawaiian Home Lands where construction financing is hard and can feel impossible to find,” Beaupré said. “[These] loans meet families where they are at.”
Accepting the award for Stupski, board director Marisa Castuera Hayase thanked the crowd for being “a reminder of how people can come together to live our values” and thanked HCL for “providing a place for us to come together to figure out how we can keep Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i.”
“We know it takes many hands and many hearts, and we know that no one can do it alone,” Hayase said. “Now for all of us: how do we help sustain and strengthen community ownership and make those large investments necessary to do that in the face of all of these changes? And how do we protect our renewable resources? And create new innovative resources like the loan funds that HCL and the leadership that you provided have created? So thank you for creating more new renewable resources for us to steward together. We’re honored.”
Hayase pointed to Stupski board director Keoni Lee’s leadership as chair of the investment committee for his idea to experiment with program-related investments (PRIs) and do them in short-term, 3- to 5-year periods. “We have been able to learn through those investments that it really is possible in that short-time horizon to create this loan fund and this renewable resource that everyone here is leveraging,” Hayase said.
In his acceptance remarks, Lee gave a shout-out to Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Michelle Ka‘uhane as “one of the early advocates in trying to bring back the CDFIs as a solution for our community” and to Gilbreath for “all the impact that he’s been able to create” with figuring out the 5-year PRIs. “You just been cooking…you should be getting the award tonight, Jeff, not us!” Lee joked.
One of the most meaningful parts of the special evening was when HCL’s leadership team presented awards to homeowner ‘ōhana. Kahaunani Mahoe-Thoene, Chanel Josiah and Aikū‘ē Kalima honored just a few of the many families who have overcome extraordinary barriers to secure or sustain housing, with HCL’s guidance and support.
Mahoe-Thoene shared the story of Pumehana Kekumu and her journey to securing her home. “Pumehana was driven by a vision: keeping her home for her family and ensuring her story wouldn’t end in loss, but in triumph,” she said. “The more she learned, the more empowered she became…Pumehana’s story is one of connection, courage and the transformative power of knowledge. It reminds us that even in our darkest moments, when we lean on our community and stay true to our purpose, we can overcome tremendous odds.” The crowd warmly applauded Pumehana and the other families as they came up to accept their awards.
Also receiving hearty applause was longtime HCL office manager Rona Kaho‘onei, who received a special award for 20 years of service. HCL board treasurer Felicity “Kui” Meyer presented the award, calling Kaho‘onei “amazing.” “We go to her for everything, and we couldn’t live without her!” Meyer said.
Meyer also recognized founders Blossom Feiteira, Kehaulani Filimoe‘atu, Carl Cunningham and Winona Kaʻuhane for their vision decades ago in bringing together the education side (HCA) with the mortgage and lending side (HCL).
Since 2002, HCL has worked with partners to tackle Hawai‘i’s housing crisis. In the last 22 years, the nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) has funded 4,485 local and native Hawaiian families to build, buy and save homes from foreclosure, distributing more than $160 million into our communities for affordable housing.
HCL gives a huge mahalo to Hui Waiwai event sponsors: American Savings Bank, HPM Building Supply, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, Honsador Lumber and Stupski Foundation for their generous support.
See full article at Maui Now.