At yesterday's hearing, land board member Ted Yamamura said the board wants to help because Kanahele is doing "an honorable thing."

For his part, Kanahele said he has received overtures from state officials who'd like similar villages started elsewhere as a means to combat the homelessness problem. Many of the Waimanalo residents were once homeless and have found hope in the cooperative work of the village, he said.

Residents, governed by a village council, share the common expenses of lease rent and utilities and help each other build their houses, Kanahele said. The children attend schools outside, but there are village-based educational initiatives, too, he said, classes that teach values such as "respect and love for your parents."

"The village has proven itself to be a model," he said.

Kanahele told the board he has been "really sincere about working within the system," but emphasized that Aloha First is resolved to stay put.

"No matter what happens here, we're not going to leave the village," Kanahele said. "We planted in the ground."