This year’s Hui Waiwai was a celebration of the collective power of people working together toward a common uplifting goal: securing affordable home ownership for Native Hawaiian and local families. Together with its borrowers, partners, investors and donors, Hawai‘i Community Lending is working to change lives, and is hoping to do so in a big way in 2026.
Set outdoors on the great lawn of the Bishop Museum, HCL’s second annual signature event provided a chance for the community to honor achievements and achievers in the affordable housing market in 2025 and to get on board with new programs in 2026.
HCL Chief Executive Officer Jeff Gilbreath emphasized HCL’s ongoing commitment to helping people buy, build and save homes, with a willingness to think outside the box in order to achieve these goals. “We acknowledge that our approach is not always the most conventional,” Gilbreath said. “HCL’s team members are always searching for the right paths, the right programs, the right focus for each individual family. It’s not one size fits all; and that’s how we’re getting results.”
Gilbreath shared that since HCL was founded in 2002, the nonprofit mortgage lender has originated 6,559 grants and loans, with more than $203.7 million disbursed, resulting in more than 6,500 ‘ohana in homes. In 2025 alone, HCL originated 225 grants and loans, with more than $10 million disbursed, and 225 ‘ohana in homes. HCL continues to come up with new programs to meet the needs of local families, including the Kahua Hale and Kūpa‘a Hale loans—both zero-down, low-fee mortgages with interest rates below 5%.
Hawai‘i County Mayor Kimo Alameda gave the keynote address on his vision for housing Hawai‘i’s people. “The system of housing people in our state is a lengthy, complicated, multi-layered process,” Alameda said. “But if we learn how to work well with each other—if we work with nonprofits who get things done, if we work with the private sector to build houses, if we are willing to do things differently than we have in the past—we have solutions within our grasp.”
HCL Chief Operating Officer Chanel Josiah echoed this theme in her introduction of the Ahuna ‘Ohana, proud homeowners who were honored at the event. “Our programs and loan products are inspired and designed by our borrowers’ lived experiences,” Josiah said. “We believe affordability is about intentionally creating systems that respond to families’ real needs—setting a new industry standard for what affordability should look like.”
The Ahunas received support across nearly every loan product HCL offers, from the emergency line of credit during COVID, to a debt consolidation loan, Ho‘omaka pre-construction loan, Kapili construction financing, and most recently, a Kahua Hale mortgage loan. Along the way, they worked with financial counselors to improve their credit scores and increase their household income and savings. “One family’s journey shows us what becomes possible when the right conditions come together—when affordability, partnership and hands-on support are aligned as a community development model,” Josiah said.
Jona Ahuna said that her family really learned to “trust the process!” “Even at times where things looked grim, we trust God’s timing for us,” she said. “With our faith, family, friends and support at HCL, we were able to get to our goal of homeownership. When we build God’s house, He builds ours!”
Kūkulu means to build, and HCL’s new Kūkulu Partner Program brings together contractors, suppliers, draftsmen and other professionals across the housing ecosystem—all committed to finding practical ways to keep homeownership attainable for everyday working families. E. Bueno Construction received the first Kūkulu Partner of the Year Award for their role in building the Ahuna family home in Anahola, Kaua‘i.
HCL Board Member Jackie Kaina introduced the award, recognizing Bueno Construction as a partner who has gone above and beyond in that shared work. “Elmer Bueno and his team have delivered custom homes with modern design, strong craftsmanship and a consistent focus on keeping projects attainable for families—all while helping families move into their homes on timelines they can count on,” Kaina said. “Their work reflects what Kūkulu is meant to represent: building not just structures, but real pathways for families to move forward.”
HCL sister agency Hawaiian Community Assets (HCA) was honored for its groundbreaking work to create Ua Hale Aʻela, an innovative new rent-with-option-to-purchase program. When HCA launched the program in 2025, HCL moved with them to provide a line of credit so they could acquire properties—not to turn around to make a profit, but to make the homes affordable for local and Hawaiian families.
“Since that initial investment, this relationship has grown,” said Kui Meyer, HCL board member, as she honored Chelsie Evans Enos, CEO of HCA. “Not only are we an investor in their program with a $2.5-million line of credit, but we are the partner helping to connect their families to affordable mortgage financing when they are ready to purchase. The power of this partnership is that we can strategically use our collective capital, staff and expertise to reduce costs on families to the point where homeownership is possible.”
Meyer noted that Ua Hale Aʻela is backed with 100% private capital, a change from the past when public investment was the only option. “Now we see the state and counties developing similar programs, and local investors coming to the table,” Meyer said. “HCA is making believers out them.”
“Ua Hale Aʻela is about turning local families’ dreams of homeownership into reality—and HCL has been a key partner in making that happen,” said Makana Reilly, HCA director of advancement and communications. “Their investment and ongoing support help us move quickly, reduce costs, and keep homes in community hands.”
Hope shone out from the remarks of many speakers, including Maria Linz, HCL’s Lahaina Homeowner Recovery program manager and Leali‘i resident. Even last year, hope was harder to come by, but now, Linz shared, “that light at the end of the tunnel is shining bright. We still have a long way to go. We will need more funding, and more help to get everyone home. But with the support of incredible partners…something has shifted. Our days are no longer filled with despair. Now, our days are filled with ground blessings, and housewarmings.”
Linz introduced Auntie Valerie Ho‘opai, whose journey to homeownership has been filled with obstacles; yet with her resilience and the unflagging support of the HCL team, her family’s home is now underway and the foundation poured. “It is an incredible privilege to walk alongside families as they move from loss to home again,” Linz said.
Each year, HCL recognizes an investor who has made a difference through significant support of vital programs. For 2025, HCL Board Member Kawena Beaupré presented the Impact Investor of the Year Award to Northern Trust, recognizing its historic $10-million investment in HCL’s new Kūpa‘a Hale Loan program. This major financial outlayhelped to make zero-down mortgages available to native Hawaiians on Hawaiian Home Lands.
“At a time when the federal government was pulling back on its investments into our state and local economies, this privately funded program moved forward to fill at least one gap left by federal funding cuts and has resulted in both financial and social returns for us and our investors,” Beaupré said. Kūpa‘a means to be steadfast, firm and loyal, and this statewide loan has gone far to help ‘ohana set roots and be financially stable and grounded to their homeland.
“This recognition reflects far more than a financial contribution,” said Kimberly Evans, Northern Trust executive vice president and head of corporate sustainability, inclusion and social impact. “It represents our steadfast belief, shared by our partners at Hawaiʻi Community Lending and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, that access to affordable homeownership is one of the most powerful pathways to stability, community and generational opportunity. We are humbled to stand alongside so many dedicated leaders and community champions who have made this program possible.”
Support from investors like Northern Trust and generous sponsorships from the community are critical to HCL’s ability to help Hawai‘i’s people achieve homeownership. HCL extends a huge mahalo to Hui Waiwai 2026 Presenting Sponsors Central Pacific Bank, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, and Honsador Lumber; and Pōmaika‘i Sponsors American Savings Bank, Gentry, HPM Building Supply, Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Title Guaranty Hawai‘i, and Tradewind Group.
Proceeds from Hui Waiwai’i – totaling $51,900 – go to support housing for local and Hawaiian families in 2026.
All kānaka-owned businesses contributed to the success of the evening, with event planning and design from A Touch of You Hawai‘i; rentals, tent, tables and chairs from Pacific Party Rentals; waitstaff and bar service from Tray’d Up Hawai‘i; floral décor from Lei Studio; delicious Hawaiian fusion meal from Kapakahi Grindz; pa‘i‘ai cupcakes and liliko‘i bars from Aloha Spirit Bakes; custom cookie favors for each guest from Anela Made; local music by talented musicians Keoni Ku and Nick La‘a; and AV, sound and screens from Table Collective.
The inspirational evening carried a special theme, chosen by HCL from ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #2178: Mohala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua – “Unfolded by the water are the faces of the flowers.” In the context of Hui Waiwai, what this means is that “people thrive where living conditions are good.” In order to thrive, people need affordable housing, and HCL is showing this is achievable through partnerships that lower barriers.
Recalling the success of the Ahuna ‘Ohana, Josiah reflected that HCL’s work with clients is never just about numbers or timelines: “It’s about having faith, upholding each family’s values and dignity, and about walking this process together.” Going forward into 2026, the faces of the flowers are unfolding in beautiful and life-changing ways.
See article at Maui Now.