Gov. Josh Green has announced a new partnership with HomeAid Hawai‘i to build 450 units for Maui wildfire survivors who were not eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The project is called Ka La‘i Ola, meaning “The Place of Peaceful Recovery.” A news release said it's the largest interim housing development announced for wildfire survivors to date.
When completed, the units on 54 acres will offer temporary, sustainable housing solutions for up to five years. People will be placed in studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom homes.
The project will cost around $115 million, with $75 million from the state and the remaining funds from charitable and community resources.
The governor's office said the state has been paying about $56 million each month to house people ineligible for federal aid in hotels and other temporary residences.
"Disaster Case Managers will support residents with access to resources including providing trauma-informed services with consideration to post-traumatic conditions. Together with neighboring community leaders and housing beneficiaries, the goal is to plan a community with amenity buildings, a resiliency center, landscaping, and other essential components for healing and recovery," the news release said.
HomeAid Hawai‘i is also the state's developer for Green's pop-up villages of tiny homes for homeless people, dubbed the Kauhale Initiative.
A groundbreaking for Ka Laʻi Ola will soon be announced.
