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The Maui News
State officials are renewing their call for homeowners to participate in a program that provides housing for Maui fire survivors, with thousands still living in temporary shelters after the Aug. 8 wildfires.
Gov. Josh Green and the Hawai'i Housing Finance and Development Corporation are seeking more participants for the Hawai'i Fire Relief Housing Program, which gathers a list of homeowners across the state who are willing to assist by offering unoccupied rooms, units or houses to those in need. After HHFDC staff confirms the information and validates the available units, they are placed on a searchable list and interactive map for Maui fire survivors to see.
So far, the program has helped find more permanent housing for more than 500 Maui families who lost their homes in the fires, according to a HHFDC news release last week.
"We are grateful for the empathy and generosity that many Hawai'i homeowners displayed by providing safe and secure havens for those most affected by the tragedy in Lahaina," Green said. "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."
HHFDC Executive Director Dean Minakami is recommending that those offering their properties be able to maintain the rental agreements for a minimum of 18 months.
"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.
The list and map of housing across the state are available publicly on the HHFDC website and are updated daily. As of Nov. 21, a total of 575 surviving families had been placed, including 410 on Maui, 107 on Oahu, 44 on Hawaii island and eight on Kauai. Six were placed out of state.
HHFDC does not provide any financial support to either property owners or renters. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay fair market rent for fire survivors and has also established a Maui Direct Lease Program in which FEMA will rent properties directly for a period of time, provided they are available through a registered property management company, according to the news release.
Other aid is available -- the nonprofit Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and Maui County have also created the HOST Housing Support Program that provides host families across the state with financial assistance of up to $375 per month for each person they assist, with up to $1,500 a month per host. Funding comes from the American Red Cross and the Hawai'i Community Foundation. Details are available at hawaiiancouncil.org/hostfamily/.
For more information on the state's housing program, visit dbedt.hawaii.gov/hhfdc/hawaii-fire-relief-housing-program/.
For more ways to find or offer housing, visit mauinuistrong.info/resource-categories/offer-housing.