For thousands of Native Hawaiians, the dream of owning a home has long been limited by eligibility rules and high costs.

A new initiative by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs aims to change that. The Access to Home Ownership program, known as AHO, was created to offer a pathway to first-time home ownership for Native Hawaiian residents through conventional loans backed by OHA guarantees.

The program, launched with $1.5 million in funding for loan guarantees and an additional $3 million approved for the next two fiscal years, removes some of the largest financial barriers to buying a home, including high down payments and private mortgage insurance.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, which provides homestead leases to qualified Native Hawaiians, currently has roughly 29,000 people on it

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