At Home In Hawaii

Steve and Cheryl Wilson and their three youngest children live in Waianae, on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. He works at a local car dealership; she is employed in the fast food industry. For the past year, they have been Habitat homeowners.

Things were different seven years ago. They faced problems with drugs, and homelessness, and Cheryl--who is half Native Hawaiian--was unable to access land that was her birthright.

"I was homeless. I lived on the beach. We had a truck that we called home and we used to bathe at the showers at the beach. At the time, my two oldest girls, and my 2-year-old son were in foster care. When I became pregnant with our fourth child, we were told the baby would be taken away from us because of being homeless and our continuing use of drugs."

That threat got their attention. Steve went into treatment first; Cheryl followed.

It was during her time at a post-treatment transition house that Cheryl's caseworker told her about Honolulu HFH. Cheryl attended an orientation meeting, but became discouraged when she learned she needed land before a house could be built. That's because the issue of land-- and the rights of Native Hawaiians to it-- is a complicated one.

In 1893, the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown by the U.S. government. Nearly two million acres of crown, government and public lands were ceded to the United States without the consent of, or compensation to, Native Hawaiians.

The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 made available 250,000 acres to native people who are at least one-half Native Hawaiian. Approximately 7,000 qualifying Native Hawaiians have received Hawaiian Homestead Lands over the years, for which they pay a nominal annual lease amount. Unfortunately, some 16,000 people still remain on the waiting list.

However, Reynard Soon, chairman of the Hawaiian Homelands Commission, recently committed 250 lots inclusive of infrastructure--a total value of $31 million--to the state's five Habitat for Humanity affiliates.

"This is a huge step forward," said Karen Holt, a Hawaiian Homes Commission member, in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin last November. " This will finally enable us to help the poorest of the poor native Hawaiians to obtain housing."

Cheryl Wilson was offered a lot in 1997. The Wilsons, along with five other prospective Habitat families, worked together on each others' houses in a spirit of ohana--family--for a year, and all moved into their houses in July 1999.

"We formed that ohana so that we could be close; step through it together--even our ups and downs," she says. " Where I came from to where I am now, I just can't believe. I have to pinch myself."


--Karen Free/Kim MacDonald





Reprinted from Habitat World Magazine, August/September 2000.
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©2000 Habitat for Humanity International