Maui fire relief housing program calls for help

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
·3 min read
1

Nov. 24—Gov. Josh Green and the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. are renewing their call for homeowners to offer their unoccupied rooms, units or houses to help Maui wildfire survivors.

Gov. Josh Green and the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. are renewing their call for homeowners to offer their unoccupied rooms, units or houses to help Maui wildfire survivors.

The Hawaii Fire Relief Housing Program, which launched in mid-August, has aided over 500 Maui families that lost their homes in the August wildfires with finding more permanent housing, according to state housing officials.

"We are grateful for the empathy and generosity that many Hawaii homeowners displayed by providing safe and secure havens for those most affected by the tragedy in Lahaina, " Green said in a news release this week. "But we still need many other property owners to step up to the plate to offer longer-­term housing opportunities for those who need it."

The program operates by gathering a list of homeowners statewide who are offering their unoccupied properties for assistance. After HHFDC staff members confirm the information and availability, Maui wildfire survivors can use a searchable list and interactive map, which is available on the HHFDC website, to find and connect with a homeowner.

HHFDC Executive Director Dean Minakami recommends that those offering their properties "be able to maintain the rental arrangements for a minimum of 18 months."

At least 100 people died due to the Aug. 8 wildfires, and thousands lost their homes. More then 2, 700 structures in Lahaina were destroyed by the fires, many of which were homes, including single-family homes and multistory apartment buildings.

This program is the third organized stage of the state's efforts to provide housing to those displaced by the fires, following creating congregate emergency shelters in Maui public facilities and the later movement of wildfire survivors into hotels in Kaanapali.

According to the state, 575 families had been placed as of Tuesday : 410 on Maui, 107 on Oahu, 44 on Hawaii Island, eight on Kauai and six out of state.

While the HHFDC does not provide financial assistance to property owners or renters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency pays fair market rent for wildfire survivors. Additionally, FEMA also launched a Maui Direct Lease Program, in which the agency will lease properties from a registered property management company directly to wildfire survivors for at least 18 months. In October, FEMA also identified four possible sites for transitional modular homes on Maui.

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and Maui County have also established the HOST Housing Support Program, which provides households offering housing to wildfire survivors with up to $375 per month for each person they assist, up to $1, 500 a month, in financial assistance for up to six months.

The Maui Relief Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program also offers qualifying families up to $4, 000 per month for housing assistance, plus additional aid for utilities, auto down payments, clothing and school supplies for up to four months.

In addition, the state is looking into other forms of housing assistance, like building more homes on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands property for beneficiaries, and encouraging property owners to construct accessory dwelling units or convert short-term rentals into long-term leases.

Green said that until Lahaina can be rebuilt, the state's goal is providing a more stable long-term housing solution to every family.

"This is a critical time as many survivors seek to transfer out of temporary housing into more stable, longer-term living arrangements as they try to regain some normalcy and routine to their lives, " Minakami said. "If you have an available extra room, ohana unit or accessory dwelling unit, or a vacation rental, please consider helping."