Gov. Josh Green, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen, and other partners today committed to creating 3,000 interim units for Maui wildfire survivor households by July 1.
The plan was outlined in a memorandum of understanding signed by Green, Bissen, Hawai‘i Community Foundation President and CEO Micah Kane, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement President and CEO Kuhio Lewis, FEMA Field Coordinating Officer T.J. Dargan, and American Red Cross Assistant Director of External Relations Mary Simkins.
Green, Bissen and others made the announcement this afternoon at a news conference at Maui Lani, where 34 units will be built to supply mid-term housing as part of the plan.
There are currently about 1,459 Maui households living in various forms of mid-to-long term housing; the plan’s goal is to increase that to 3,071 by March 1 and over 4,200 by July 1.
To make that happen, the partnership has pledged $500 million in funding through July with $250 million coming from FEMA, $150 million from the state, $40 million from the county, $50 million from the Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund, $5 million from CNHA’s Kako’o Maui fund, and another $5 million from other philanthropic organizations.
Green said over 2,400 individuals and families who were displaced by the fires have been in short-term hotel housing for the last five months and need stable housing options for the next 24 months while more permanent housing is explored. The plan aims to have them out of short-term hotel stays by March 1.
Green had threatened an emergency moratorium on short-term rentals on Maui if enough property owners did not volunteer to convert their units into longer-term housing for fire survivors. Today, the governor said he will hold off on that decision until March 1.
He said so far 700 short-term rentals and second homes are in the long-term rental program. Green said he hopes that number will double by March 1 to meet a 1,500 goal, which along with other housing would be sufficient to stave off a moratorium.
Bissen said the county has offered a tax exemption for short-term rental homes, timeshares and non-owner occupied properties that rent long-term to fire survivors. He said those that don’t participate in the long-term rental program could face tax hikes with increases determined by the shortfall created by the exemptions.
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