Gov. Josh Green will be in Washington next week to speak with President Joe Biden and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge about relief funding for Maui.
At a news conference Wednesday on Maui, he said that no families will be evicted from temporary housing in hotels. It's a promise he has made before — and one that was echoed by American Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern.
"We're not kicking people out. We have a lot of resources, looking at different ways to put people into homes. But we're the Red Cross, we don't do things like that," McGovern said.
"We did give a 48-hour notice for them to sign up with the case manager — not to leave. And we probably could have done a better job with that communication. But having said that, we are not kicking people out of these hotels," she added.
Green said that if anyone feels they are being pushed out, they should speak with their Red Cross liaison.
"The likelihood is they will not only help you find your next place to stay or keep you in your spot, but will also remind you that there is a grant or another program or some significant resource that's available if you haven't communicated," he said.
The governor acknowledged people have been reluctant to reach out for help due to citizenship status or something in their past. He stressed that aid organizations are there to help.
More than 6,800 evacuees remain in hotels, down from a peak in August of nearly 8,000, according to Green.
Robert Fenton, the regional head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also said Wednesday that housing is the main focus in West Maui.
He said there is a coordinated effort to move survivors of the Maui fires into stabilized, longer-term housing with amenities like kitchens and washing machines.
“While FEMA can provide rental assistance, maybe we can't provide the furniture that you may need to put in, maybe we can't provide first and last month's rent. The good thing is, by working with organizations such as the Red Cross and CNHA and some others, they can do that," Fenton said.
Green and Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said new grants of up to $30,000 will be administered through the local nonprofit Maui Economic Opportunity.
That money can be used for a variety of purposes and is funded by $50 million from the state government, with another $50 million available in reserve.
