After serving in the Army for 20 years, living in many locations around the world and then retiring from a second career in business management, Wailana Kamau’u’s dream was to return to his home of Waimea, Hawaii. Today, he is one of more than 550 Veterans and service members who have used the Native American Direct Loan (NADL) program throughout the Native Hawaiian, Samoan and Marshall Island region.
The NADL program helps eligible Veterans and service members secure low-interest mortgage rate loans (currently 2.5%) and then stands by them each step of the way through purchase or construction.
As a Native Hawaiian, Kamau’u had previously secured land in Waimea through the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, which set aside 200,000 acres of land for Native Hawaiians and offered 99-year leases on the land. But, while the land was waiting for him and his wife, Kathy, in this tropical paradise, building a home in one of the nation’s most expensive places seemed out of reach for the hopeful couple. In addition to the cost, they only found one mortgage company that would lend to those who wanted to buy or build a home on the Hawaiian Home Lands.
“Building a primary residence on the Department of Hawaiian Homes Land (DHHL), the Native American Direct Loan (NADL) program was critical in helping us bring our dream to fruition,” said Wailana.
“When we discovered NADL, we thought it was too good to be true,” Kathy added.
From loan pre-approval to construction completion
VA’s NADL team helps Veteran borrowers overcome obstacles, including getting water and electricity run to their newly built homes, or finding appraisers to assess homes they are seeking to purchase. The Kamau’u’s worked with the NADL team over a period of three years, from loan pre-approval through construction completion, and they finally opened the doors to their “28th and last home” earlier this year.
“Our NADL loan officer, Craig Filbeck, was right there for us, from assisting with completing paperwork to ensuring our general contractor did the work before we paid him,” said Kathy. “He became a friend.”
With their home nestled in the mountainous region of the tropical island, the Kamau’u family added little touches to it, like built-in bookcases, a gourmet kitchen and a large family room to accommodate their 16 grandchildren, who love to visit them. They added environmentally sustainable features, like solar tubes and automatic blinds, as well. “We built this home to never leave,” said Kathy. “Every day, we wake up and say how much we love our home,” she added.
Who can use the NADL program?
In 1992, Congress passed Public Law 102-547, which established the NADL program. Unlike other VA home loan programs, VA directly funds these loans to help Native American Veterans and service members buy, build or refinance homes on Federal trust lands. Under the Native American Programs Act of 1974, “Native American” includes Native Hawaiian, Alaska Natives, Pacific Islanders, American Samoa and the people of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands and Guam.
Generally, eligible Native American Veterans must belong to a federally recognized tribe that has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with VA.
VA NADL staff are actively working with many other Native American Veterans to help them secure the loans they need to buy and build their forever homes.
Learn more at the NADL website, or visit: https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/loan-types/native-american-direct-loan/.
Topics in this story
More Stories
VA completed phase 1 of the Readiness and Employment System(RES) deployment nearly a month ahead of schedule. modernizing the case management platform for the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program
VA has announced an amendment to the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance, Family SGLI, and Veterans’ Group Life Insurance Accelerated Benefit Option regulation.
Scammers are alarmingly clever in targeting Veterans, pretending to be VA representatives and demanding repayment for alleged benefits overpayments
The NADL program should be opened up to State Recognized Tribes. The loan should be available as long as your are within 50 miles of your tribal lands.
What this is? This story read about Native Hawaiian Veteran get LDAN loan, but I gotta be for reals — this feel like VA say, mira “look at me now” and pat on its back for fix a problemo it make, but still drama for thousands of my Native vets hermanos. One family build dream house after 3 year of paper fight, chase contractor, and have only one mortgage company want touch HawaiI Home Lands.
VA say “doors opening,” but where? Only 550 Veteran in all those island region In mas 30 años history NALD program? That number, tiny, not real success? How many more Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native, tribal vets still wait? How many deny bcuz no appraisal, no lender, no structure, no infrastructure? VA brag about help with water and electric hookup like it special favor — that basic life need, not luxury.
This program create 1992, but after 30 year, it still crawling, but wen DNAL walk or run fjnally? Pleqse vamos we need be honest: prgram underfund, underpromote, and underserve, but not undeserving— they deserve, no doubt, for sure! Veterans from tribes deserve same chance at homeownership as anybody using normal VA loan. But insteads, they stuck with bureaucratic stuff “memorandum of understanding” hoops and almost no lender participations. What that?
Instead of posting glossy article about one family, VA should publish numbers to impress: how many applications deny, time for how long average wait, how many tribes still don’t got MOU. Don’t tell me “doors opening” when for most Native veterans the doors still lock close.
Veterans no need fluffy word, insteads need action for them
Seems like ALL veterans should be entitled to 2.5% VA home loans.
Gracias hermano… 2.5% nice. I no let them break me. I keep pushin’, one day the good door open. Dios got it cover. Sí, is hard bro… too much stress, too much waitin’. But you right, I stay calm, I hold ground. We soldier on, same like old days. Bendito sea, new opportunity coming soon.
Whats going on for the vets in conus on this situation?
[Editor: No change for CONUS Veterans: https://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/ or CONUS NADL: https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/loan-types/native-american-direct-loan/ ]