DHHL to Reopen Big Island Offices

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands will reopen its Big Island offices to in-person appointments on Wednesday, June 17.

Beneficiaries seeking transfers, successorships, or other services will be handled on an appointment-only basis, DHHL said in a press release. They are asked to call the offices ahead of time for scheduling purposes.

Walk-in payments and deliveries will also be accepted beginning June 17. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. through 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“We are pleased to return to in-person services again,” said Hawaiian Homes Commission Chairman William J. Ailā, Jr. “We’ve taken precautionary sanitation and social distancing steps in all of our offices in the interest of the health and safety of those we serve as well as our staff.”

DHHL closed its doors on March 17 as the state faced the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited services have remained operational with limited in-office staff and through staff teleworking arrangements, the agency said.

Beneficiaries visiting the department should expect noticeable changes along with the requirement of wearing a face covering and the practice of social distancing, in coordination with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

During the State’s Stay at Home Order, the department implemented several efforts to provide relief to beneficiaries, including the implementation of a rental relief program for those on the department’s Waiting List and the deferral of mortgage payments for those with department-issued direct loans.

Rental relief options for qualified lessees, licensees, and permittee tenants on lands managed by DHHL were also approved by the Hawaiian Homes Commission. The above relief options remain available to those impacted by COVID-19.

To make an appointment for service or to learn more about DHHL’s COVID-19 relief efforts and other information related to the Department’s COVID-19 operations, visit dhhl.hawaii.gov/covid-19.