Department of Land and Natural Resources

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR

DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON

PUʻUHONUA O WAIʻANAE HOMECOMING BEGINS

Group Celebrates Move to Mauka “Farm Village”

HONOLULU – Members of the Puʻuhonua O Waiʻanae (POW) community are moving into a new home for the holidays. This transition reflects the shared commitment of POW, the DLNR and many other partners to safely and compassionately move the community from houselessness to long-term stability, while ensuring that public lands are managed responsibly for the benefit of all.

POW, a self-governed village of approximately 200 residents located adjacent to the Waiʻanae Small Boat Harbor, had long operated as a place of refuge and collective responsibility, rather than simply an encampent for houseless individuals. Under the leadership of the late Twinkle Borge, whose belief that “kuleana wakes up mana” became a refrain for the community, POW worked to get donations of over $10 million to purchase their own land, install infrastructure and build homes for their people. They serve as a model for empowerment and resiliency for individuals experiencing houselessness throughout Hawaiʻi and far beyond.

Having secured a 20-acre parcel of land in Waiʻanae Valley in 2020, POW is actively constructing its next phase of the community – the Mauka “Farm Village” – with a goal of providing permanent homes for 250 people. Half the land is being developed for housing, with the other half set aside for agriculture.

Addressing homelessness has been a priority for Governor Josh Green, who directed Chair Dawn Chang and the DLNR to provide every possible support to Borge and the POW community. A six-member council of POW Overseers has been working with DLNR leadership over the past year to coordinate the transition. “We are grateful for the direct communication and collaboration with the DLNR,” said Kala Paishon of the council. “We are the living proof that a solution for houselessness is possible. What I can say to the people out there on the street is, don’t give up hope. There’s always hope.”

POW leadership agreed to a November move timeline in April. A group of more than 40 people will join 45 community members already living in the farm village, with the rest of the community to follow in the coming months.

“I’m looking forward to the move, but I’ll be one of the last to go because I’m making sure we return this land the way we got it, if not better,” said Paishon, who is part of the team leading the move and cleanup of the area. Returning the land as they found it was one of the promises Borge made years ago to state leaders — and the community is working to keep that pledge with the supervision of DLNR.

“We deeply respect the community that has grown at Puʻuhonua O Waiʻanae over the years,” said DLNR Chair Dawn Chang. “This move is about long-term stability. We are committed to supporting a smooth, respectful relocation and are proud to collaborate with POW members as they build a permanent home rooted in culture, safety and self-determination.”

During the transition, POW and DLNR are preparing the area for transfer to the Department of Education (DOE), which plans to expand Waiʻanae High School’s Marine Science Learning Center onto the property. This will create new learning opportunities for local students and establish the area as a living classroom connected to the ocean.

Chang added, “DLNR has a responsibility to ensure that public lands are safe, well-managed and used for their intended purposes. At the Waiʻanae site, our responsibility includes restoring the area for education and ocean stewardship and preparing the property for the Marine Science Learning Center.”

The Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) has been monitoring the area for sensitive habitat, including several anchialine pools that support opaeʻula, a protected species of native shrimp. “They could potentially be a keystone species, where if you remove them it affects the larger ecosystem,” said Watershed Restoration Coordinator Anthony Olegario. DAR staff has marked areas to protect during the move.

This transition continues Borge’s dream of self-determination rooted in responsibility for the Puʻuhonua. “I believe it is the pono decision to work collaboratively with POW and empower them to make decisions but also be held accountable for those decisions,” said Chang.

 

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RESOURCES

(All images and video courtesy: DLNR)

HD video – POW makai village and cleanup (October 15, 2025): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ct7xxracmztjgvh0bk2s2/POW-Makai-Oct-15-2025.mp4?rlkey=rgeb4bc7b84a9zpkz8wjtipfa&st=0v3q7a4o&dl=0

 

HD video – POW and DLNR SOTs (November 19, 2025): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/73hialr7n6wrz5642msq2/POW-and-DLNR-SOTs.mp4?rlkey=y9s55bnptfv6lpd3513gn55ge&st=we8l80bi&dl=0

 

HD video – Anchialine Pools b-roll and interview (October 15, 2025): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/329cagfq4z0y00r6a1633/Wai-anae-Anchialine-Pools-broll-and-sots.mp4?rlkey=qy2hewmz96z6xvmdazfjqydfb&st=b05jqm7k&dl=0

 

Photographs – POW makai village and cleanup (October 15, 2025): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ytemof6h9b8f9r1l0bgvz/APL1PtLa4HihrU2MxMU6gGE?rlkey=alwp2ybwstwkg1jmxwip1s3f7&st=p0xsgblr&dl=0

 

Photographs – Anchialine pools and endemic shrimp (October 15, 2025): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/d85e51u4mvpqvl4xx9ms9/AD22yGraAwqPaJzstVTVKzc?rlkey=k04xvjzl9fxjvdixcfu8d3wgl&st=82xsdvbp&dl=0

 

Media Contact: 

Patti Jette

Communications Specialist

Hawai‘i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

Email: [email protected]