Kauhale is a traditional Hawaiian concept of village living. It is a collection of small homes arranged around shared spaces where everyone shares responsibility for one another and the wellbeing of the village. It is a return to connection where healing begins with community. In modern Hawaiʻi, this concept has inspired the foundation for the Kauhale Initiative.
The Kauhale Initiative is a statewide effort led by the State of Hawaiʻi to create deeply affordable housing across the islands. Kauhale communities pair private living spaces with shared kitchens, bathrooms, and gathering areas that bring people together. The goal is to build housing and community that restore stability, dignity, and belonging.
Kauhale fills the gap for those ready to rebuild their lives.
While the initiative is guided by the State, HomeAid Hawaiʻi serves as the lead developer. We have built six kauhale villages and homes for two more. Our process begins by listening to communities, finding where kauhale is needed, securing unused land, and working with builders, nonprofits, donors, and volunteers to make each project possible. We also launched Kauhale Management Services, a pilot program that bridges construction, facility, and people management to keep deeply affordable kauhale communities thriving long after they are built.
Each kauhale is built around three core elements: housing, services, and community. Residents have private spaces for independence and shared spaces that encourage daily connection. On-site services support health and stability, while community life builds accountability and purpose. Through Kauhale Management Services, HomeAid extends this approach into long-term operations that promote economic mobility. We partner with local businesses and contractors to connect residents to job opportunities, helping them build skills, earn income, and move toward lasting independence.
Hawaiʻi’s housing network, known as the continuum of care, includes shelters, transitional programs, vouchers, and permanent supportive housing. While many voucher programs support the lowest-income residents, the Kauhale Initiative stands apart as the first housing development model created specifically for this group. It operates outside the traditional system as a community-first approach rather than a housing-first approach. It also helps fill the gap for working families who earn too much to qualify for traditional programs but still cannot afford market rent. Built through public-private partnership, the initiative combines state resources with support from the construction industry and private sector. This collaboration passes savings directly to residents, lowering rents to about $250 to $600 per month and reducing construction timelines from two years to roughly six months.
Hawaiʻi faces one of the highest homelessness rates and housing costs in the nation. In 2024, more than 6,400 people were identified as experiencing homelessness, while nearly half of local families live one paycheck away from crisis. The 2024 Hawaiʻi Housing Planning Study found that Hawaiʻi needs more than 17,200 new homes for residents earning below 30 percent of the area median income, or roughly under $30,000 a year for a single person (Hawaiʻi Housing Planning Study, 2024).
Kauhale addresses both sides of the problem. It offers stability for people who have lost housing and creates deeply affordable options for those at risk of losing it.
