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USDA Expands Local Partnerships in Six States to Increase Homeownership Opportunities for Native Americans

Six Native Community Development Financial Institutions Will Finance New Homes on Tribal Lands with USDA Investments

BAYFIELD, Wisc., Oct. 18, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Acting Deputy Under Secretary Lillian Salerno today announced the Department is partnering with six Native Community Development Financial Institutions (Native CDFI) to expand homeownership opportunities for Native Americans living on Tribal lands in six states.

“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are taking action to ensure everyone has an affordable place to call home,” Acting Deputy Under Secretary Salerno said. “These investments will give people the resources they need to build, purchase or repair homes in Tribal communities, creating the opportunity to build generational wealth through homeownership.”

USDA is providing funding to each institution through the Native CDFI Relending Demonstration Program, which is administered under the Single Family Housing Direct Loan Program.

The demonstration program provides loans to Native CDFIs, who then work within communities to provide financing to eligible homebuyers on Native lands to build, purchase or repair homes.

For instance:

  • In Alaska, Ha Yaakawu is receiving a $876,000 loan to finance approximately 5 homes.
  • In Oregon, Nixwyaawii Community Financial Services is receiving a $525,600 to finance approximately 3 homes.
  • Hawai‘i Community Lending is receiving a $1.6 million loan to finance approximately 4 homes.
  • In Michigan, Lake Superior CDC is receiving a $700,800 loan to finance approximately 7 homes.
  • In Oklahoma, Cherokee Nation, CNDTA Inc. is receiving a $876,000 loan to finance approximately 10 homes.
  • Wisconsin Native Loan Fund is receiving a $876,000 loan to finance approximately 9 homes.

Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has invested $18.5 million to 11 NCDFIs to help approximately 150 families and individuals purchase homes on their Native lands.

These investments are helping families like Ashley Elk Nation and her sons in South Dakota. The family was living in a single-wide mobile home in Eagle Butte but wanted more stability in a safer neighborhood. The family applied for a loan with help from Four Bands Community Fund, a Native CDFI that previously received funding under the demonstration program. In October 2022, Ashley Elk Nation moved her family into an affordable new home that met all their needs for more indoor and outdoor space in a neighborhood where they felt comfortable.

Background

The Biden-Harris Administration made funding available for the Native CDFI Relending Demonstration Program pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024. 

Today’s announcement expands USDA’s partnerships through the program by extending six loans to native lending institutions, to continue to address this historical disparity and demonstrate USDA’s commitment to Tribal communities.

To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, visit www.rd.usda.gov or contact the nearest USDA Rural Development State Office

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. Visit the Rural Data Gateway to learn how and where these investments are impacting rural America.

See more at USDA here.

About Chanel Josiah

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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About Aikū’ē Kalima

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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About Sean

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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About Nikki

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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