My parents moved our family to the continental United States when I was a baby in search of more tangible dreams. Hawaii didn’t appear to be a realistic place to raise a family. The cost of living here was too great. After a few years away, Hawaii called us home. We returned and faced the reality we always knew existed. My parents are wonderful and loving people, but were never quite able to overcome the challenges that purchasing a home presents. After returning to Maui, my family and I lived in 9 homes in 10 years.
After graduating high school, then college, getting married and moving home, I faced a similar future my childhood was riddled with; housing instability. When my wife became pregnant, I made a promise that I would do anything and everything to provide the stability to my daughter that I never had. This is where Na Hale O Maui stepped in and changed our lives.
In November 2011 we moved into a home we never imagined we could afford. 2 months later my daughter was born into not only our family, but her own home as well. A stable place she can grow up in and one day, if she so chooses, raise her own family in.
…my quaint cabin in Haiku that we were renting was becoming a nightmare. The cabin and property was unsafe and high-priced. We needed to get out, but there wasn’t much on the rental market that was affordable and took a dog.
Luckily, we became homeowners in October 2013 thanks to Na Hale O Maui! We were able adopt another homeless dog, and we found out we were having a baby 5 months later. If it wasn’t for Na Hale O Maui, I don’t know if we would be able to stay on Maui. Now I am able to raise a child in a safe home in an amazing place, and I get to contribute to our community by being a special education teacher at a title 1 school. …In addition, we were able to learn all of aspects of applying for a loan, going through escrow and the responsibilities of being a home owner. We are so blessed to be given a chance to learn, grow and save money with this program.
In July of 2010 we moved into a nice three bedroom house in Kihei, Na Hale O Maui made sure our home was move-in ready, with new appliances, even landscaped. I don’t know what the home looked like when the previous owner left, but it is the nicest home I have ever lived in. My family and I really appreciate living in a single family home in a residential neighborhood and not having to work two or three jobs each to do it. If we ever do decide to sell our home, Na Hale O Maui will make sure that it stays affordable for a new family, their mission is to provide affordable single family homes in perpetuity.
We are a low income family with 4 children. As most families in our community we had a dream of owning a home, having a yard and living in a safe neighborhood for our children to play and grow in. Na Hale o Maui explained the guidelines for buying one of their homes which is part of a low income housing land trust that enables families like ours to buy a home at a realistic price point. With the help of their staff and required home buying classes they educated us and helped us through the home buying process. Na Hale O Maui refurbished the home prior to our move in date and made sure it was in great condition.
… it was through Na Hale O Maui land trust that we were able to make our dreams of buying a home come true and having a place for our children to grow in.
We have great jobs and even with those jobs, we couldn’t afford to buy a home any other way. This home has allowed us stability for our children. It’s allowed us to have a fenced in yard for safe play, and now they have friends! It’s allowed us to stay on Maui with our families.
My family and I are proud homeowners thanks to Na Hale O Maui. We LOVE our new home and neighborhood. We are friends with our neighbors and my son has a best friend living right next door. We are now walking distance from my son’s babysitter and my parent’s home (my childhood home). I cannot speak more highly of the staff and mission of Na Hale o Maui. I am deeply grateful.
Words cannot express how Na Hale O Maui program has changed our lives. My husband and I would have never entertained the idea of being homeowners, it was a just a dream and a goal that was too far to reach. As parents, the blessing of being a homeowner brings exhilarating joy. Our children also have a sense of security and happiness
