Lahaina Community Land Trust staff gathered earlier this year with ‘ohana, friends and supporters to bless the first parcel held in community ownership, which will one day be built out with a main house and two ‘ohana units. Maui United Way is investing in the Land Trust with a $1.5 million commitment. Courtesy photo

Maui United Way is backing an effort to keep the land in Lahaina firmly in the hands of local residents by committing $1.5 million to the Lahaina Community Land Trust.

According to Maui United Way, the funding will support the Land Trust’s mission of protecting and preserving Lahaina for future generations, and that means ensuring that the land in Lahaina remains in locals’ hands with an emphasis on protecting affordable housing, cultural spaces and ecosystems.

Created in response to the 2023 wildfires, the Lahaina Community Land Trust’s programs focus on preserving affordable housing, assisting with insurance gap support, conserving natural and cultural areas, and fostering economic development in line with the town’s values and history.

“This financial commitment from Maui United Way empowers LCLT to accelerate our mission to keep Lahaina lands in Lahaina hands,” said Mikey Burke, president of the Land Trust board, in a statement. “By safeguarding a land base for the community — by the community — we ensure that future generations can experience the rich history and magic of being raised by this place.”

According to Maui United Way, the $1.5 million investment is part of a broader funding effort that includes land acquisitions and resources for preserving Lahaina’s vital spaces, and the Land Trust’s approach is a perfect fit because it stems from residents guiding decisions through advisory boards and governance structures.

Staff with the Lahaina Community Land Trust and friends are shown during a gathering at 1651 Lokia St. in Lahaina, the first ʻāina secured into community ownership. Courtesy photo

The partnership between the Lahaina Community Land Trust, Maui United Way and several other Hawai’i-rooted philanthropic organizations is meant to ensure that the investments made in Lahaina’s healing will support permanent solutions to help the town and its residents heal in the aftermath of the 2023 fires.

“So far, federal and state governments have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on shelter and temporary housing, which provide critical short-term shelter for families with nowhere else to go but are not designed to help families secure stable housing long term,” Maui United Way wrote in a news release.

“That is, in part, why LCLT and a coalition of philanthropic partners including Maui United Way are focused on imagining — and directly investing — in a future for Lahaina that permanently benefits both individual families and community stability,” the release continued.

The Land Trust works with a two-part mission: to keep Lahaina home and keep Lahaina lands in Lahaina hands.

The group’s insurance gap program, for example, helps homeowners close the gap between insurance payouts and construction costs, allowing underinsured residents to rebuild and stay in Lahaina.

Meanwhile, the trust also offers homeowners the option to sell to the trust instead of investors, allowing the Land Trust to hold the land permanently and sell the homes on top to Lahaina residents at affordable prices.