Gov. Josh Green announced Friday a $500 million plan to make more than 3,000 interim housing units available for Maui wildfire victims.
The Maui Interim Housing Plan aims to move the nearly 6,000 people who are living in Maui hotels after being displaced by the August fires into stable housing with 18-month terms by July 1.
The multifaceted plan includes contingencies for returning residents to their original homes, connecting residents to host housing, transitioning short-term rentals to long-term rentals, and building new permanent housing developments.
The plan is a partnership between several state, federal and private agencies, including the state of Hawaii, the County of Maui, the Hawaii Community Foundation, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross.
FEMA has committed to contributing $250 million to the project, with the state providing another $150 million and Maui County $40 million.
According to a memorandum of understanding for the project, interim housing solutions should be available to the hotel-bound wildfire refugees by March 1, as many of the state’s current agreements for housing the victims expire in February.
Currently, 2,400-plus households, totaling more than 5,928 individuals, remain housed in more than 30 hotels throughout Maui in a program facilitated by the American Red Cross.
“We want families to know there is a long-term future for them on Maui — and it starts with providing housing stability right now,” said Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen in a statement.
In addition to those in Maui hotels, the project will extend its reach to more than 1,000 households, including undocumented, migrant and previously homeless people on the neighbor islands through “innovative programs.”
“There is no easy solution to address the housing crisis on Maui,” said CNHA President and CEO Kuhio Lewis. “It’s a kako‘o effort that will take government, private sector, philanthropy and the community working in partnership to overcome this crisis situation. The road ahead will be long and challenging, but not impossible when we do it together.”
