DHHL lays out FY27 budget plan, highlights funding mix and staffing gaps
June 12, 2026 | Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), Department of, Executive , Hawaii
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The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands presented its proposed fiscal year 2027 budget to the Hawaiian Homes Commission on June 12, saying the plan preserves 200 authorized positions and relies on a mix of general fund appropriations, trust and special funds, bond proceeds and federal grants.
Administrative Services Officer Philip Guin told commissioners the state fiscal year runs July 1'01 to June 30 and that the department's FY27 request is a supplemental ("sufficient sums") budget to be returned to the commission for approval at its June 15 regular meeting. He described DHHL's internal accounts (the Hawaiian Home administration account S325; revenue-bond special fund S350) and five trust funds used for operating, development and loan programs.
Guin said federal and external support remain significant: the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant from HUD is roughly $22.3 million annually, and the department has previously received two tribal broadband grants that total about $89 million. He also noted DHHL's general obligation (GO) bond authorization for FY27 is about $34.2 million and that the department is still servicing prior revenue bonds.
On staffing, Guin said the budget preserves 200 positions but that "currently out of the 200 positions there are 34 vacancies as of today," with six pending offers and 10 temporary 89-day hires in place. He described recruitment challenges in more remote locations and lower-paying or non-permanent positions, and cited use of the OHigh/DHER expedited hiring pathway and active job-fair recruitment as mitigation steps. "We have been actively recruiting," Guin said.
Commissioners pressed on conversion rates for 89-day hires; Guin estimated the conversion to permanent employment has been "at least 30 percent," noting retirees sometimes fill temporary roles and younger hires often convert when permanent openings arise.
Guin also walked through loan ceilings and trust-fund use: a direct-loan ceiling increase for certain DHHL financing (from $7 million to $30 million in the cited request), and a corrected balance for the Native Hawaiian Rehabilitation Fund (T924) after a spreadsheet error was fixed. He identified a $6 million green-fee allocation for FY27: $2 million directed to statewide Act 96 fire-mitigation projects and $4 million dedicated to the Kokaha wastewater improvement project on the Island of Hawai'i.
Why it matters: the budget keeps staffing and core loan programs intact while relying on a complex mix of funding sources and several one-time or nonrecurring allocations (green-fee and bond proceeds). Commissioners will take a formal vote on the FY27 budget at the commission's June 15 meeting.
The commission did not take final budget action at this workshop; the FY27 proposal returns for approval at the June 15 meeting.
Administrative Services Officer Philip Guin told commissioners the state fiscal year runs July 1'01 to June 30 and that the department's FY27 request is a supplemental ("sufficient sums") budget to be returned to the commission for approval at its June 15 regular meeting. He described DHHL's internal accounts (the Hawaiian Home administration account S325; revenue-bond special fund S350) and five trust funds used for operating, development and loan programs.
Guin said federal and external support remain significant: the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant from HUD is roughly $22.3 million annually, and the department has previously received two tribal broadband grants that total about $89 million. He also noted DHHL's general obligation (GO) bond authorization for FY27 is about $34.2 million and that the department is still servicing prior revenue bonds.
On staffing, Guin said the budget preserves 200 positions but that "currently out of the 200 positions there are 34 vacancies as of today," with six pending offers and 10 temporary 89-day hires in place. He described recruitment challenges in more remote locations and lower-paying or non-permanent positions, and cited use of the OHigh/DHER expedited hiring pathway and active job-fair recruitment as mitigation steps. "We have been actively recruiting," Guin said.
Commissioners pressed on conversion rates for 89-day hires; Guin estimated the conversion to permanent employment has been "at least 30 percent," noting retirees sometimes fill temporary roles and younger hires often convert when permanent openings arise.
Guin also walked through loan ceilings and trust-fund use: a direct-loan ceiling increase for certain DHHL financing (from $7 million to $30 million in the cited request), and a corrected balance for the Native Hawaiian Rehabilitation Fund (T924) after a spreadsheet error was fixed. He identified a $6 million green-fee allocation for FY27: $2 million directed to statewide Act 96 fire-mitigation projects and $4 million dedicated to the Kokaha wastewater improvement project on the Island of Hawai'i.
Why it matters: the budget keeps staffing and core loan programs intact while relying on a complex mix of funding sources and several one-time or nonrecurring allocations (green-fee and bond proceeds). Commissioners will take a formal vote on the FY27 budget at the commission's June 15 meeting.
The commission did not take final budget action at this workshop; the FY27 proposal returns for approval at the June 15 meeting.
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