Jonathan Amano beamed as he walked into his new house in Kapolei with his wife, Kanoe, and their four children.

"This has always been a dream for us," Amano said Wednesday after taking a tour of the home. "We’re just so thankful."

Owning the home in Kanehili Hawaiian Homes Subdivision became possible through the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant program. More than 50 people attended a ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the completion of their new homes.

Also at the ceremony were Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, and U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.

The Amanos bought their first home with a down payment of more than $57,000 in block grant assistance and a 30-year loan. More than 380 homes have been built, acquired and rehabilitated since the inception of the grant program in 2002.

Amano’s grandfather, Rodney Reyes, transferred ownership rights to Amano sometime after Reyes received ownership rights from his sister, Louise Ortiz.

Reyes conducted a special blessing Wednesday for his grandson and his family, thanking Donovan and congressional leaders for making Amano’s dream a reality.

As a carpenter for JDH Construction Ltd., a subcontractor for developer Gentry Homes, Amano had the rare opportunity to help build his new home with the help of his younger brother after the family selected the lot in February.

The couple’s younger children, ranging in age from 3 to 7, darted up the stairs Wednesday to claim their bedrooms in the two-story house while Kanoe Amano carried their 1-year-old daughter, Tristyn.

"The kids are excited," Kanoe Amano said.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Amano and guests toured the four-bedroom, three-bath home. One bedroom of the beige structure gives a clear view of the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center, minutes away and due to open by the end of the year.

Features of their new home include central air conditioning and a solar water-heating system. Kanehili is the first Hawaiian Homes project to have solar water system as a standard feature.

The Amanos, who has lived with Kanoe Amano’s father and sister in his Nanakuli home for the past nine years, plan to move into their new place by week’s end.