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WAILUKU >> A Maui-based outreach organization is proposing to build a new campground facility in Lahaina as a way to help with the island’s growing homeless population, but residents are fighting the project.
The Maui News reports that the Hoomoana Foundation will meet with the Maui Planning Commission Tuesday to discuss a permit for the Kauaula Campgrounds project which would provide eight camp sites on about 2 acres along Hokiokio Place adjacent to the Lahaina Bypass.
However, neighbors are calling the proposed project a “tent city” that would deter tourists from visiting West Maui, lower property values and attract crime to the area. An online petition asking to delay approval of the camp has more than 400 signatures.
A 2015 Statewide Point in Time count shows Maui County has more than 1,100 people who are homeless.
