This week, U.S. Treasurer Chief Lynn Malerba and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Tribal and Native Affairs concluded a visit to Native Hawaiian communities, including Hawaiian Home Lands. Hawaiian Home Lands are trust lands set aside by the U.S. Congress through the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920. The Hawaiian Homes Commission exists to administer the Act, through the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL), to provide for the economic advancement of native Hawaiians.
Treasurer Chief Lynn Malerba began her visits on Wednesday by joining DHHL Director Kali Watson and senior staff on a tour of Hawaiian Home Lands in the Villages of La’i’Opua and the future site of Palamanui. The Villages of La’i’Opua and many DHHL projects are funded with Treasury’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Projects. During the visit, DHHL highlighted the importance of LIHTC for improving housing security for Native Hawaiians who experience disproportionately high poverty rates and overcrowded housing conditions.
The Treasurer then attended a roundtable with the Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations (SCHHA) and Homestead Beneficiary Associations (HBAs) to discuss economic priorities important to Native Hawaiians and the value of Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), such as Hawai’i Community Lending which is assisting Native Hawaiian Lahaina fire victims in accessing housing resources.
On Thursday, the Treasurer provided keynote remarks at the 2024 Native Hawaiian Convention, hosted by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, a Native CDFI. The Treasurer shared how Treasury is growing its understanding of Native economies to support increased access to Treasury’s community and economic development funding by Native Hawaiian entities from COVID-19 pandemic recovery funding to the CDFI Fund’s Native American CDFI Assistance Program. The Treasurer also highlighted the American Women Quarters 2023 program which features Edith Kanaka’ole, a celebrated leader for revitalization of Native Hawaiian culture and language.
Later in the day, the Treasurer visited Waimea Nui, an HBA, with SCHHA to learn how Native Hawaiian homesteaders are using Hawaiian traditions to build a sustainable agricultural economy.
Today, Treasurer Chief Malerba ended her visit by meeting with two Native Hawaiian businesses-Wai Meli Artisanal Raw Honey and C&C Tropicals-both of which received State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) credit support through the State of Hawaii’s SSBCI allocation of $62 million. SSBCI is a $10 billion-dollar program meant to support small businesses and entrepreneurship in communities across the United States by providing capital and technical assistance to promote small business stability and growth.
In response to input from Tribes and the Native Hawaiian community, the Biden-Harris Administration created Treasury’s first Office of Tribal and Native Affairs under the first Native American Treasurer Chief Malerba. Under Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen’s leadership, the Department has significantly increased its engagement with Tribal Nations and Native entities to improve its understanding of Native economies to better understand and respond to the needs of Indigenous communities.