Since catastrophic wildfires swept through Maui in August, thousands of displaced residents of the Hawai‘ian town of Lahaina and of other communities impacted by the fires have been residing in hotel rooms. Now, with the state government planning to reopen the island for tourism on October 8, some displaced households are being forced out.
The Safe Harbor program, which housed any household displaced from the fires in hotel rooms on the island, is set to expire on the evening of October 6. When that occurs, individuals who have been unable to register for FEMA or Red Cross assistance have been told that they will be forced to leave their temporary shelter. Currently, the Red Cross and FEMA are funding hotel sheltering for wildfire survivors, but both require households to register with FEMA. Meanwhile, some condominium owners have been told that they have no choice but to evict wildfire evacuees, a revelation that has sparked a state investigation.
Hawai‘i Governor Josh Green has stated that 90% of families in hotel rooms were determined to be eligible for FEMA assistance but that 134 still needed to register to receive assistance. Governor Green stated that another 150 families were not eligible for FEMA assistance due to immigration status or disability but that these families are continuing to receive assistance. The source of this funding is unclear.
For many residents who were experiencing homelessness prior to the wildfires and who are ineligible to receive continued assistance from the Red Cross or FEMA, a tent city has been erected named Puʻuhonua o Nēnē that has capacity for 150 residents. Currently, 60 individuals who were experiencing homelessness prior to the fires are residing in that camp.
The end date of the Safe Harbor program coincides with the state government’s planned reopening of West Maui to tourism on October 8. Many Maui residents view the decision to reopen for tourism while evicting individuals from hotel rooms to be a slap in the face as the community continues to grieve the destruction wrought by the fire. The Lahaina Strong coalition led efforts to deliver a petition with over 10,000 signatures – with more than 3,500 of these signatures originating in West Maui – asking Governor Green to reverse the decision, which occurred without meaningful opportunities for input from community members. So far, the state government plans to stick with the October 8 date.
The NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition is continuing to track the recovery from the Maui wildfires and support advocacy efforts in the impacted area via a dedicated Working Group being run in collaboration with the National Housing Law Project.