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American Savings Bank, Bank of Hawai‘i, First Hawaiian Bank, and Central Pacific Bank joined Hawaiʻi Community Lending, a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit community development financial institution, in… Read More »Local banks take lead on offering mortgage forbearances to Maui homeowners [MauiNow]
Hawaiʻi Community Lending (HCL) today announced the launch of the Kānaka Anti-Displacement Fund to prevent displacement of kānaka maoli (native Hawaiians) from Maui after the… Read More »Hawai‘i Community Lending Launches Fund to Prevent Displacement of Native Hawaiians Impacted by Maui Wildfires
More than $494 million in relief funds for Maui has been pledged in the form of government assistance, private donations and nonprofit efforts since the… Read More »Money Continues To Pour In For Maui’s Recovery [Civil Beat]
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the implementation of federal disaster relief for the state of Hawaii to… Read More »HUD Announces Assistance for Hawai‘i in Wake of Fires
The Nā‘iwa Homesteaders Program announced its upcoming virtual workshop on the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Farm Plan for agricultural lessees. This workshop, presented by Nā’iwa… Read More »Nā‘iwa Homesteaders virtual workshop scheduled for DHHL agricultural lessees [Maui Now]
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Hawai‘i/Western Pacific State Director Chris Kanazawa announced today that the Agency has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding… Read More »USDA Rural Development Partners with the Hawai‘i Community Lending to Expand Access to Homes in Hawai‘i
After more than a year in operation, the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Program is expanding to provide more assistance and expand eligibility to help even… Read More »More Homeowners Eligible for Mortgage Assistance as Homeowner Assistance Fund Program Expands
High costs, lack of infrastructure have kept 58 lessees from moving onto lots A preliminary site plan shows the layout and size of the 58… Read More »MOLOKAI: Long-awaited farmland on horizon for lessees [Maui News]
Investment supports homeownership for native Hawaiians on Hawaiian home lands American Savings Bank (ASB) partnered with Hawaiʻi Community Lending (HCL) today to announce the bank’s… Read More »American Savings Bank Invests More Than $4.3 Million in Hawaiʻi Community Lending
Hawai’i Community Lending will hold an informational meeting to discuss the $1.5 million Na’iwa Homestead Project to build packaged homes for 58 lessees selected in… Read More »Meeting to discuss Hawaiian homestead project on Molokai [Maui News]
Chanel was born and raised on Oʻahu and now resides on Kaua’i with her husband and seven children. As a 5th-generation Hawaiian Home Lands lessee and homeowner, she has firsthand knowledge of the challenges families face in accessing housing, financial opportunities and resources both on and off homesteads. Her lived experiences and professional expertise inspire her passion for supporting others and strengthen her commitment to helping local and native Hawaiian families secure and sustain homes on their ancestral ‘āina, building lasting stability for themselves and generations to come.
Chanel also serves as the Board President of Pa‘a Lima, a nonprofit organization that offers support services and education to address houselessness, mental health challenges, financial literacy, and income instability. The organization is committed to breaking generational cycles and changing lives, with a special emphasis on supporting youth aging out of foster care.
As Operations Director, Chanel oversees marketing, community engagement, technical assistance, and operations. A key aspect of her role is connecting directly with communities to understand their needs and challenges. Drawing on her personal and professional experiences, Chanel approaches these challenges holistically, blending diverse perspectives to create innovative strategies that drive meaningful and lasting change for the communities she serves. “I’m grateful to be able to share our organization’s moʻomeheu (culture), moʻolelo (story) and kaunu (passion) with communities across Hawaiʻi, partners and investors who believe in the work we do.”
Chanel is inspired by her keiki, motivating her dedication to ensuring they can build their futures here in Hawai’i. She is also inspired by her tūtū kāne, Robert William Kalanihiapo Wilcox. “He was a fearless kānaka ‘ōiwi champion who encompassed the spirit of aloha ‘āina – the love of his land, and home just as we do now.” Outside of work, Chanel enjoys reading, practicing hula, and spending time at the beach with her ʻohana.
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Aikū’ē Kalima, former Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund Manager for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, joins Hawaiʻi Community Lending as its lending director.
Kalima comes to HCL with more than 25 years of experience in community development and mortgage lending. In his new position, Kalima will direct HCL’s consumer, construction, mortgage and small business lending.
“As a native Hawaiian and Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiary, I understand the financial needs for economic development and quality housing for kānaka is great,” said Kalima, who led OHA’s deployment of $9.8 million in loans to 286 native Hawaiians statewide over the last five years. “For over 25 years, I have worked tirelessly at the grassroots level, educating kānaka on the skills necessary to achieve the dream of homeownership and providing resources to achieve financial sustainability. I plan to continue serving the lāhui empowering ‘ohana and communities as the lending director for Hawai‘i Community Lending.”
Kalima takes the reins of HCL’s $16-million revolving loan fund and will oversee a team of seven staff members statewide. “HCL is honored to have Aikū’ē join us in our mission to help tackle our housing crisis by funding native Hawaiian and local families to build, buy and save homes from foreclosure,” said HCL Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath. “He has proven leadership in both the public and private sectors and has the passion to get families on the land through homeownership.”
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Sean Perez loves hearing about the great things Hawai‘i Community Lending is doing for the Hawaiian community. And now as HCL’s new director of finance, he is excited to be part of the team making it happen.
“I enjoy hearing the success stories of new homes that we will soon be building and finding for these families,” he says. “HCL’s mission resonates well with me and my passion to help others and assist our community.”
To this end, Sean will manage HCL’s finances, accounting, compliance, and information technology matters; working with HCL Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath and supervising three division managers. He comes to HCL with over eight years of experience in financial management in the nonprofit and private, for-profit sectors having worked in the legal, social service, health, and telecommunications industries as well as with the US Attorney’s Office of Guam and CNMI. In his previous job as director of operations for the Hawai‘i State Bar Association where he was responsible for directing the organization’s finances, Sean grew his experience in nonprofit financial management and gained extensive background in accounting, grants management, IT and human resources. These skills, in conjunction with his drive to work with the Hawai‘i community through nonprofit assistance, led Sean to HCL.
Currently living in Honolulu, Sean was born in Tamuning, Guam. When he was 10 years old, he moved to Oxnard, Calif., where he attended school and eventually community college. The Air Force Reserves beckoned him after graduation, leading him to serve three and a half years as an aircrew flight equipment technician at March Air Reserve Base. After his military service, Sean returned to his childhood home of Guam, where he went to college to obtain a degree in finance and economics, and then to pursue an MBA.
On O‘ahu, Sean enjoys family life with his fiancée and toddler son; fishing and surfing in his time off. “I look forward to accomplishing great things with HCL and creating new success stories,” he says.
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Nikki Hollern is a mother of five, born and raised in Upcountry Maui, but she spent the last 15 years in the beautiful town of Lahaina. Lahaina stole her heart, with the people and the town being unlike any other. After the fire, her family had to relocate to Kahului.
Her heart remains in Lahaina, and her goal is to help this amazing community get back to where they belong. She feels blessed to have the opportunity to be part of the HCL ‘ohana, helping navigate this incredibly hard time and hopefully serving as a guiding light to assist the community in returning home and coming back even stronger.
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