After the Maui fires, I offered my condo to Federal Emergency Management Agency so fire survivors — people who lost everything — could have a safe place to live.

I did this in the true spirit of aloha, believing that when our neighbors are suffering, we show up.

What followed was deeply troubling.

FEMA assigned a professional property management company and survivors were placed responsibly. Yet, instead of being met with patience or understanding, these individuals were subjected to repeated HOA violations and complaints from my condo association.

The first survivor placed in my unit was understandably anxious. Trauma does that. Rather than engaging with compassion, the association’s actions escalated his distress until we were forced to rehome him. The same thing happened with a second survivor.

This was not an isolated inconvenience. It exposed a larger and damaging contradiction.

Condo associations publicly express sympathy for fire survivors, and display “Maui Strong” messaging, while simultaneously raising fees and creating hostile environments that discourage owners who are willing to rent to survivors.

At the same time, the county continues to say it urgently needs housing inventory.

Both cannot be true.

Trauma-informed care does not require special training. It requires basic humanity. These survivors lost homes, possessions, stability, and community. Subjecting them to punitive enforcement only deepens the harm.

If Maui is serious about recovery, condo associations must be part of the solution, not obstacles hiding behind rules while speaking out of both sides of their mouths.

Aloha is not a slogan. It is a responsibility.

Susan Dekom
Maui Condo Owner