Federal disaster recovery funds to the tune of $1.6 billion have been approved for Maui County.
The Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding is appropriated by Congress and allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to rebuild disaster-impacted areas with long-term recovery.
Starting next month, wildfire survivors can begin applying for assistance.
Maui County Office of Recovery Administrator John Smith told Lahaina residents last week that housing programs will kick off first.
“The three programs we're kicking off — first is the single-family reconstruction program," Smith explained.
This opportunity is open to any Lahaina homeowner who lost their primary house in the wildfires and has not yet started or finished rebuilding their home. Eligibility is based on earning at or below 140% of the Area Median Income.
"Then we're going to be working on the homeowner reimbursement program," Smith said. "So that was something that was asked for when we were developing the action plan, because we know some people were able to actually build, and then this way, once they're done building, there's a chance, if you're eligible, that we could help reimburse some of that cost. So that's a really cool program that we're developing that's something that hasn't been done before in HUD, so we're pushing them for that."
That program provides up to $400,000 to homeowners who lost their primary residence in the 2023 wildfires, and who have already rebuilt their homes.
The third program in the launch lineup is the first-time homebuyer opportunity.
"We really want to help our families become homeowners, not just renters," Smith continued. "So if you're interested in becoming a homeowner, there's a program there. Aug. 11 is when you'll be able to come in and actually sit down and start talking details with us.”
The CDBG-DR funding is allocated for housing, infrastructure, economic development, public services and mitigation projects.
There will be informational workshops for Maui wildfire survivors coming up later this month.
