Promised Land

A Failed Housing Pledge to Native Hawaiians

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and ProPublica are investigating the decadeslong failure of the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to return Native Hawaiians to ancestral lands.

Impact of Our Reporting

Lawmakers Approve $600 Million to Help Fix Housing Program for Native Hawaiians

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

May 6, 2022, 1:10 pm EDT

Lawmakers Propose $600 Million to Fix Housing Program for Native Hawaiians

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

January 21, 2022, 5:00 am EST

13 stories published since 2020

Some Residents Can Get Home Loans in This Area, but Native Hawaiians Say They Can’t. Officials Want to Know Why.

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

February 3, 2023, 5:00 am EST
The Military Pledged to Remove Unexploded Bombs From This Island. Native Hawaiians Are Still Waiting.

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

November 26, 2022, 5:00 am EST
Native Hawaiians Are Split Over How to Spend $600 Million to Help Those Who Need Housing

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

May 27, 2022, 6:00 am EDT
These Native Hawaiians Waited Years for Homes on Their Ancestral Land. Then the Problems Began.

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

March 3, 2022, 5:00 am EST
Do You Live in the Kanehili or Kauluokahai Subdivisions? We Have Questions About the Quality of Your Homes.

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and Beena Raghavendran, ProPublica

July 7, 2021, 3:00 pm EDT
The U.S. Broke Its Promise to Return Land to Hawaiians. My Family Knows Something About Land Loss.

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

May 26, 2021, 10:45 am EDT
How the Deals Approved by Congress Bypassed Thousands of Hawaiians Waiting for Homes

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

May 7, 2021, 6:00 am EDT
The U.S. Owes Hawaiians Millions of Dollars Worth of Land. Congress Helped Make Sure the Debt Wasn’t Paid.

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

May 7, 2021, 6:00 am EDT
Hawaii’s Big Fix to Its Housing Shortage for Native Hawaiians? A Casino.

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and Agnel Philip, ProPublica

December 24, 2020, 5:30 am EST
The Government Promised to Return Ancestral Hawaiian Land, Then Never Finished the Job

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and Agnel Philip, ProPublica

December 19, 2020, 5:30 am EST
To Reclaim Ancestral Land, All Native Hawaiians Need Is a $300,000 Mortgage and to Wait in Line for Decades

by Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and Agnel Philip, ProPublica

October 24, 2020, 6:00 am EDT
How We Found Low-Income Hawaiians Were Left Behind by the Homesteading Program

by Agnel Philip, ProPublica, and Rob Perez, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

October 24, 2020, 5:59 am EDT

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Promised Land

Impact of Our Reporting

Lawmakers Approve $600 Million to Help Fix Housing Program for Native Hawaiians

Lawmakers Propose $600 Million to Fix Housing Program for Native Hawaiians

Some Residents Can Get Home Loans in This Area, but Native Hawaiians Say They Can’t. Officials Want to Know Why.

The Military Pledged to Remove Unexploded Bombs From This Island. Native Hawaiians Are Still Waiting.

Native Hawaiians Are Split Over How to Spend $600 Million to Help Those Who Need Housing

These Native Hawaiians Waited Years for Homes on Their Ancestral Land. Then the Problems Began.

Do You Live in the Kanehili or Kauluokahai Subdivisions? We Have Questions About the Quality of Your Homes.

The U.S. Broke Its Promise to Return Land to Hawaiians. My Family Knows Something About Land Loss.

How the Deals Approved by Congress Bypassed Thousands of Hawaiians Waiting for Homes

The U.S. Owes Hawaiians Millions of Dollars Worth of Land. Congress Helped Make Sure the Debt Wasn’t Paid.

Hawaii’s Big Fix to Its Housing Shortage for Native Hawaiians? A Casino.

The Government Promised to Return Ancestral Hawaiian Land, Then Never Finished the Job

To Reclaim Ancestral Land, All Native Hawaiians Need Is a $300,000 Mortgage and to Wait in Line for Decades

How We Found Low-Income Hawaiians Were Left Behind by the Homesteading Program

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