The Lahaina Community Land Trust has launched a homebuyer portal aimed at helping Lahaina-rooted residents begin the process toward permanently affordable homeownership.

The portal, available at lahainacommunitylandtrust.org/comehome, allows residents to submit an intake form that places them in the pipeline to potentially purchase a future LCLT home. When homes become available, the organization will conduct a lottery among qualified applicants, who would then have the opportunity to buy available properties.

Residents who sign up will receive notifications when homes come on the market, along with guidance on preparing for homeownership while they wait. The organization said each intake also helps it better understand local housing needs, which will inform future development decisions.

The Lahaina Community Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit formed in the aftermath of the 2023 Lahaina wildfire. It uses the community land trust model, a nationally recognized approach that originated in the U.S. South during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement to help prevent land displacement among Black families.

Under the model, the nonprofit retains ownership of the land while income-qualified buyers purchase the homes and enter into a 99-year ground lease. Because the land is not included in the sale price, homes are intended to remain more affordable for local families over time, while the land itself is permanently held in trust.

“For too long, the story in Lahaina has been one of local families being priced out of their own community,” said Autumn Ness, executive director of the Lahaina Community Land Trust. “This portal is the next chapter — a tangible path for Lahaina residents to come home and stay home, with the kind of stability and roots our ʻohana deserve.”

The organization said that once applicants are qualified, it works with lending partners to assist with financing, connects buyers with homebuyer education courses and provides annual post-purchase check-ins to support homeowners.

LCLT homes are designed to appreciate at a rate of 1.5% per year. The organization said the structure is intended to allow homeowners to build equity while keeping properties affordable for future Lahaina buyers.

“Every home we place into the trust is a promise to Lahaina’s future generations,” Ness said. “One home at a time, we are rewriting what’s possible for our community.”

To qualify for an LCLT home, applicants must meet income limits of no more than $300,000 per household or 140% of area median income, whichever is greater; be current Maui County residents who lived in a home damaged or destroyed in the 2023 Lahaina fire; meet asset limits, including owning no more than a one-third interest in another residential property; and qualify for a mortgage or have sufficient resources to purchase outright.

More information is available at lahainacommunitylandtrust.org/howtoqualify.