How does putting land in a trust protect it for future generations?
By Devon Haia, Esq. Equal Justice Works Disaster Resilience Fellow and Staff Attorney Whether property was recently purchased, or passed down through generations, ʻohana can use a family land trust as a legal shield to protect and preserve their land for future generations. A trust is a legal tool used to hold title to assets. Every trust has a creator, at least one trustee, and at least one beneficiary. When an asset, such as land, is placed in a trust, title to the land splits: the trustees hold legal title and the beneficiaries hold equitable title. Legal title means the ...
NHLC Helps Families in Affordable Housing Program Resolve Dispute With Large Landowner Neighbors Who Built Barbed Wire Fence Through Their Backyards GalleryNHLC Helps Families in Affordable Housing Program Resolve Dispute With Large Landowner Neighbors Who Built Barbed Wire Fence Through Their Backyards
NHLC Helps Families in Affordable Housing Program Resolve Dispute With Large Landowner Neighbors Who Built Barbed Wire Fence Through Their Backyards
In April 2024, six families in Pepe‘ekeo on Hawai‘i-island were startled by a notice they received from a large lot landowner nearby. The large landowner declared they would be building a barbed wire fence through their properties, starting in two weeks. The families sent the landowner protests and objections, saying they did not agree to the fence. Nevertheless, crews entered their properties and built the fence, cutting them off from a 25-foot-wide stretch of land across their backyards. From 2019-2021, these families participated in a self-help housing program that provided affordable home ownership. In the program, families provided their own ...
NHLC Honored to Receive Carved Waʻa by Sam & Marena Kahanamoku ʻOhana
Aunty Marena Kahanamoku and her husband, Uncle Sam Kahanamoku, lived on Uncle Sam ’s homestead in Puʻukapu, Waimea for 18 years. When Uncle Sam died, Aunty Marena needed legal help because DHHL would not process her successorship. She retained NHLC for pro bono assistance. In July 2024, six years after his death, Uncle Sam’s wishes for his homestead were honored and Aunty Marena took over the lease. Her successorship was granted. Aunty Marena presented NHLC with a special waʻa carved by her late husband Uncle Sam Kahanamoku. The waʻa reads, "Huli Koho La (The Belly of The ...
