Agencies rush to find housing for fire-displaced residents | News, Sports, Jobs

Smoke rises from the wreckage of the burned-out mid-rise affordable housing project, Kaiaulu o Kupuohi, in Lahaina on Thursday morning. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos

Public and private agencies are scrambling to get residents into housing in the wake of fires that damaged or destroyed more than 2,000 structures in Lahaina and Kula, mostly residential.

Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers, whose Lahaina facility burned down, quickly took in a little more than 100 displaced West Maui tenants at their Wailuku facility, with some eagerly taking accommodations that were even not move-in ready.

Nonprofit developer Ikaika Ohana, whose 89-unit affordable mid-rise Kaiaulu o Kupuohi housing project also burned, has already reached out to the state and other government entities to “fast track” the project’s cleanup and to rebuild “as fast” as they can.

And, the state secured nearly 2,000 units at hotels and vacation rentals and launched an online program to help residents find potential housing.

The Hawai’i Fire Relief Housing program opened Monday morning to connect Maui residents affected by the fires with property owners who wish to provide them with rooms, dwelling units, houses and other accommodations immediately.

The fire-leveled complex of Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resources Center in Lahaina is shown from the air on Thursday morning.

Program application forms are on the Hawai’i Finance and Development Corporation website at dbedt.hawaii.gov/hhfdc/.

A list of available properties should now be online, according to Gov. Josh Green’s office. The program will remain active indefinitely.

Green said at a news conference Monday afternoon that 402 hotel rooms have been secured for families who have been displaced and today 1,400 units from Airbnb will be available. He also said that HHFDC got ahold of 160 units. Green has previously said that more than 1,000 families and individuals lost their homes and that the initial goal was to secure 2,000 units.

He said 220 people have already been placed into housing, noting that the shelters are emptying out.

HHFDC staff is in the process of contacting landowners, landlords and management companies to encourage them to participate in the Hawai’i Fire Relief program in order to create a base inventory of available units on Maui and other islands across the state.

Green is urging individual homeowners to open up their unoccupied living spaces as well.

“This is a critical situation and time is of the essence,” Green said in a news release. “I am asking the people of Hawai’i to consider making this significant sacrifice to help our neighbors, many of whom have lost everything they owned in a matter of minutes. Let’s show the rest of the world the meaning of aloha.”

HHFDC Interim Executive Director Dean Minakami said the program website features an online portal form for landlords to list any available units they may have.

Once staff verifies the validity of the units, the information for those units will be placed in a database which will be available to those who need housing due to the fires.

For those without access to the internet, a hotline has been established where landlords, property managers, homeowners or displaced residents may contact HHFDC staff for assistance or questions about the program.

For help via phone, call (808) 587-0469. Staff is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, including weekends.

The public may also email staff at hhfdcfirereliefhousing@hawaii.gov.

The program acts as a referral service only. It is up to the landlords and rental agents and displaced residents to reach terms on rental agreements and there is no obligation for any party to accept arrangements, the state said in a news release.

Landlords who rent units to eligible residents displaced by the fires may be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency and/or state funds, the news release added.

Maui Economic Opportunity also is working to help fire-displaced residents get into homes and help them pay for rent for up to six months.

The program would link residents with the highest needs to the open units and have them sign a lease agreement, with MEO paying landlords directly, similar to the county-funded Rental Assistance Program run by MEO, CEO Debbie Cabebe said.

“MEO has lots of experience in this area, helping to keep low-income residents in homes,” she said.

MEO will give priority to those in shelters, those with disabilities, those who are 70 and older and families.

So far MEO has secured about $70,000, but much more is needed to provide units for those displaced by the fires, said Cabebe. MEO is working on securing more donor funding. For donation information, go to the MEO website at meoinc.org.

The nonprofit also has been compiling a list of available units.

“We want to thank owners of units who engaged with us and will work to fill as many of those units as possible,” Cabebe said.

But, future listings should be routed through HHFDC.

Based on funding, MEO hopes to get its program up and running soon.

Meanwhile at Ka Hale A Ke Ola, about 108 evacuees, including 38 children, were brought in to the Wailuku shelter and apartment complex Hale Makana O Waiale.

Ka Hale A Ke Ola lost its west side facilities, from which 220 people had to be evacuated Tuesday as the fire broke out.

Executive Director Monique Ibarra said that three of her staff members were heroes and helped evacuate residents, with some residents already leaving Tuesday morning as the first fire in Lahaina started. Ibarra said staff were on “alert” all day Tuesday.

Ibarra said that even though some spaces in Wailuku were not ready to be occupied, as they were not cleaned and prepared, evacuees responded with a “yes, yes, yes,” when asked if those spaces would be O.K. for them to stay in.

She said that 13 households found alternative interim housing and that two people have not been accounted for yet.

When asked what the organization will do now that the Lahaina facilities, including the shelter and apartments, have been destroyed, Ibarra responded, “I say rebuild.”

“We are not going to give up the land. We are going to keep it,” Ibarra said.

The Salvation Army’s Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division Saturday confirmed the loss of the entire Lahaina Lighthouse Corps complex, including the administrative building, church, thrift store and residential quarters.

All staff evacuated safely from the building, the Salvation Army said in a news release.

“In time, we will rebuild our buildings, but right now our main focus remains serving those on Maui by not only coordinating and providing meals, but also providing emotional and spiritual care,” said Maj. Troy Trimmer, divisional commander of The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands. “While this is a devastating time for everyone on Maui and for all who know and love the people of Maui and the island around the world, The Salvation Army is here to support response for all those in need. It is truly an inspiration to see Envoy Kevin Nagasaki, who led our Lahaina Lighthouse Corps, continuing to support those on Maui through outreach at our Kahului Corps and the shelters.”

Also looking to rebuild quickly is Ikaika Ohana, which has other affordable housing projects across the Valley Isle.

John Bigley, secretary for the nonprofit, said Friday that the 89-unit Kaiaulu o Kupuohi mid-rise on Kupuohi Street housed people who worked in “the local shops and hotels and it’s a lot of these service industry folks that we have.”

Seeing the photographs of the town, Bigley said, “it’s devastating.”

“I feel for those people,” he said.

The burned apartment project just had its grand opening in December. Bigley said maybe all but one unit was filled at the time of the fire.

The $64.6 million project was made possible by both private entities and government.

Ikaika Ohana knows housing is already in short supply. Bigley said they are reaching out to the state and other government agencies, including Maui County, to get the destroyed project site demolished and “rebuilt as fast as we can.” They are working simultaneously with their insurance.

Ikaika Ohana is also working on Kaiaulu o Kuku’ia, a 200-unit apartment project on Keawe Street. Bigley said Friday that they still needed to assess if there is any type of smoke damage to that project’s construction site. He said that no drywall has been put up yet, so if there is some damage, “it should be pretty minor.” He added that they are looking to speed up the construction on this project as well.

“The way we are going to try to help is get everything going,” Bigley said.

He said it will give hope to people once they “see activity and see construction starting.”

* Staff Writer Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.

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