A new Maui resource organization is offering novel ways to help guide fire victims through the maze of complications they face. The group helps fire victims through healing, as well as jumping through the hoops of insurance and legal claims, document recovery and more.
Launched less than two weeks ago, Kīpuka Maui assists those affected by the Maui wildfires to navigate getting back on their feet.
Services include temporary and long-term housing options, legal and financial assistance, insurance claims and keiki support.
It’s a multi-organizational collaboration that takes a holistic, culturally-grounded approach to assistance, hosted by Maui Rapid Response.
Last week, Kīpuka Maui was set up under the spreading trees of the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens. There, they also offered lomilomi massage, well-being support and haircuts for the whole ‘ohana.
Attendees were paired with an Aloha Navigator, who walked them through the process to help best meet their individual needs.
Organizer Ashley Awakea Lindsey said housing assistance has been one of the biggest requests. Another is the recovery of documents like birth certificates, IDs and social security cards.
“We've developed shortcuts on how to get the documents quicker, how to get the documents online, how to get the documents free — which isn't public record or knowledge or easy to access online, and a lot of people, they don't have a computer or they don't know how to navigate computers," she said.
"So just having a computer for them and navigating it with them, generally made everybody feel good, they’d leave with smiles on their face."
Lindsey added that Kīpuka Maui plans to continue setting up at the Botanical Gardens monthly, along with other venues more frequently.
In the meantime, they are adapting to the rapidly changing needs of those affected by the fires. Their website offers a full set of tools to navigate post-fire needs in one stop, including one they developed themselves.
“So in order to get your FEMA money, you have to apply for your insurance money first. And in order to get your insurance money, you need a photo of your burned-down house," explained Lindsey.
"And because it is blocked off and they're not allowing access yet, the insurance money isn't coming through because they can't add this photo. But now people can go to the website and they can search by address or by property owner name.”
Lindsey said this tool helps alleviate what she calls a bottleneck in the claims process.
“We took the Maui property tax public information records and we had it overlaid over the current satellite imagery so they can have a picture of their home or business so they can process their insurance claim,” she adds.
Kīpuka is named for an area that lava flows around, leaving spared land, or a kīpuka. It represents not only the resilience of nature but also the enduring spirit of Hawaiian culture.
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