Many Maui fire survivors have depended on federal housing assistance programs since the 2023 wildfires. Now, those options may be ending.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Rental Assistance and Direct Housing programs are currently set to expire on Feb. 28.
“There are 946 families as of yesterday, that are impacted by the FEMA direct lease rental assistance programs, and, of course, those that are currently in Kilohana and some of the micro sites,” Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said, addressing Lahaina residents at a community meeting this week.
The state has requested an extension on FEMA's assistance. FEMA told HPR the request is currently under review.
If FEMA doesn't extend, over 900 households have to vacate their housing, including those living at Kilohana in Lahaina, a FEMA-built modular home community for Lahaina survivors completed about a year ago.
Bissen said local officials expect an answer at least 30 days before the current deadline at the end of the month.
“What we know is that the request is currently sitting with the Department of Homeland Security,” he said. “The secretary has that sitting on her desk, and she'll have to make a decision to approve it.”
FEMA's housing assistance program was initially launched for 18 months after the fire. Then it was extended another year. After a deadline set for Feb. 10 of this year, it's been extended an additional two weeks.
‘Living without answers’
The deadline extension process has left fire survivors with uncertainty and concern.
Charles Nahale has been living out of hotels and FEMA housing since he lost everything in the Lahaina fire. He’s had a one-bedroom unit in West Maui through FEMA for about a year and a half.
“It's just a month away from the end of our contract. Where are we supposed to go? There is nowhere to go, and majority of us are not going to be able to stay where we are, because landlords are still charging this exorbitant amount rent for their places," Nahale said. "So I am on pins and needles, in a way, hoping to hear that they'll extend a little bit longer.”
Nahale said if the extension isn’t granted, he’s not sure where he’ll live. Friends have been kind enough to offer him a temporary option, but long term, he doesn’t think he can afford Maui’s rental market right now. Nahale works in the tourism industry.
“It looks a little grim,” he admitted. “One, work is slow, and two, what's affordable and available is almost non-existent.”
Nara Boone of the Maui Housing Hui agreed.
“People are hurting and they have nowhere to go, and that's the reality of the situation. It's pretty dire,” she said.
She worries many more families will soon end up unhoused or moving away.“It's hard to live without answers,” she said. “It's really kind of harming the psyche of so many to live in limbo.”
She says Maui rents are unaffordable for many residents and housing is already hard to find. It’s taking a toll on the community.
“It's hard to live without answers,” she said. “It's really kind of harming the psyche of so many to live in limbo.”
Bissen advised families to find alternative housing if possible.
“If you can find solutions to that temporary situation, if you're offered a place to stay as either a rental or a purchase or something, that you can transition from the temporary housing, my first advice to you as a plan is to take that if it's available,” he told residents.
It’s unclear what would happen to the Kilohana site and other FEMA housing infrastructure if the extension isn’t granted. Though Kilohana’s 167 units are built on state land, the state referred HPR’s question to FEMA, and the agency didn’t respond about the site’s future.
Bissen said at this week's community meeting that FEMA normally offers post-disaster removal of structures, but based on the cost to transport the housing units from the mainland to Maui and install them, removal likely wouldn’t be a financially viable option. A second option is to sell the structure to the landowner where the structure is installed, according to Bissen. A third option is to give structures to the state or county at no charge. Bissen said he and Governor Josh Green agreed to take the structures at no cost, but no FEMA decision has yet been made.
Transition Efforts
FEMA officials said so far, more than 600 households have transitioned out of the agency’s housing programs. And the agency says the federal government has already provided about $3 billion dollars towards Maui’s recovery, including $1.3 billion to fast-track debris removal, school construction and infrastructure repair.
“Housing provided by FEMA after a disaster is temporary and typically lasts for 18 months,” a FEMA spokesperson said via email. “It is intended to provide disaster survivors a short-term housing solution while they develop their permanent housing plan. Due to the severity of the fires, FEMA’s housing and financial assistance programs were extended one year beyond the required 18-month timeframe.”
Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency Administrator James Barros said the state and county does “not have a solution identified” right now if FEMA support ends next month. But he said local government continues to support critical disaster recovery programs.
“We recognize this is an incredibly stressful time, yet we want to emphasize that the state and county is committed to working together to ensure all Maui wildfire survivors, whether they are involved in a federal or non-federal funded program, continue to receive necessary support for their recovery,” Barros told HPR via email.
A FEMA extension would enable a seamless transition from federally funded programs to locally led initiatives, according to Barros.
“We are hopeful for an approved extension from FEMA for continuation of the housing programs and the Disaster Case Management Program, which will enable a successful, seamless systematic transition between these federally funded programs to locally led programs which adheres to the state's commitment to a trauma-informed disaster response,” he said.
Mayor Bissen is also remains hopeful for the extension.
“We are planning on having FEMA approve this,” Bissen told Lahaina residents.
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