Eligible Maui wildfire survivors will have access to another $5 million to help with basic needs and living expenses.
The Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, through its Maui Strong Fund, has awarded the funds to Maui Economic Opportunity.
The new Maui Disaster Stabilization Grant Program will provide up to $25,000 per household in financial support. It will be dispersed in a partnership with Hoʻōla Disaster Long Term Recovery Group and its disaster case management program.
Maui Economic Opportunity CEO Debbie Cabebe explained this will help “families or individuals who have maxed out on other types of assistance, or those who never applied for any help in the first place, because, for whatever reason, maybe they didn’t qualify if they were impacted by the fires.”
“We can pay for rent, we can pay for utilities, we can pay car payments,” she told HPR. “It's pretty flexible. Hawai’i Community Foundation wanted to make it flexible so that it really helped people pay for those things that they need to stabilize their lives.”
Case managers from Hoʻōla will assist each family through the application process and help to determine areas of need. Once approved, payments will be issued directly to vendors providing services to affected households.
“Our case managers recognize that the road to recovery for our residents has been long and difficult, and they specialize in assisting applicants through the grant process,” Rhonda Alexander-Monkres, Hoʻōla executive director, said in a press release.
“We’re grateful to have partners like HCF and MEO that understand that true recovery means helping families achieve stability, going beyond just basic, day-to-day survival.”
Applications are now open and will remain available until funds are depleted. Fire survivors learn more online or in person at the Lahaina Resource Center.
