The need for more permanent and livable housing for thousands of fire-displaced Lahaina residents looms, with additional stages of West Maui’s reopening unscheduled, but pending. Those who lost their homes and hope to move back to Lahaina after rebuilding occurs will be in a transitional state for three to five years, officials predict. And while plans are pending to erect temporary “tiny homes” or place emergency portable housing units near Lahaina, those solutions also take time.

Housing units offered as short-term rentals on Maui, however, can be found in abundant supply. And Maui’s current disaster-caused housing emergency should cause the state and county to consider energetic interventions to create greater access to these units.

In fact, when viewed in comparison to other states or other highly touristed metropolitan areas, Maui County holds an astounding number of short-term rental properties, including many fully equipped units that could serve to house displaced islanders during disaster recovery.

Analysts for the University of Hawaii’s Economic Research Organization (UHERO) reported in April 2023 that approximately 12% of all housing units on Maui are listed as short-term rentals on Airbnb. That’s nearly 10 times the proportion for San Francisco (1.4%), 20 times the proportion of New York City or Las Vegas (0.6%), and more than double the statewide average of 4.7%. The UHERO analysts call this “relatively extreme,” and they’re right.

With assistance and cooperation from short-term rental property owners, a fraught time in the transition period between Lahaina’s destruction on Aug. 8 and a rebuilt community could be fundamentally eased. Decisive, focused action by Maui County and Hawaii’s state government will be necessary to make it so.

It’s no “vacation” for fire-displaced people to shelter in hotels — especially for families who need access to a kitchen and space for children to do schoolwork. And staying in a hotel room reinforces a sense of impermanence that doesn’t serve those traumatized by the deadly fires and often-desperate escapes.

On Sept. 21, Gov. Josh Green addressed efforts to transition survivors from hotels to longer-term housing — and stated that vacation rentals had been made available to house more than 1,400 displaced residents. Hundreds more had been placed in homes arranged by the state Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp.

“We are beginning the process of transitioning survivors out of hotels and into longer-term housing, including additional vacation rental and condo-hotel housing, that will begin to feel at least a little bit more normal for those deeply affected,” he said.

Even as Green spoke, however, “thousands” of residents were sheltered in West Maui hotels. The Red Cross, which administers much of the housing relief, has estimated that nearly 78% of the pre-fire population of Lahaina has needed, and received, shelter support in individual housing units.

Speaking about combined efforts with federal agencies and Hawaii’s Department of Education (DOE), Green also said, “We know that parents want stability and normalcy for their keiki and we, the DOE, and our federal partners are working to bring that quality of life back to them as soon as we possibly can.”

At present, about 7,800 fire refugees are staying in about 3,000 West Maui hotel rooms — mostly in Kaanapali, according to a survey by Lisa Paulson, executive director of the Maui Lodging and Hotel Association.

Short-term rental units could, and really must, play a significant role in providing the thousands of additional units needed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been in continuing contact with short-term rental operators — and has also received thousands of inquiries about available housing.

FEMA payments are available to support more than 18 months of rental assistance for survivors. A great advantage of this, for short-term rental operators, is that for this period, a property owner can count on a steady payment and steady tenancy.

Another incentive is that owners of property on Maui can play a part in West Maui’s — and the island’s — recovery, by assisting a local family in need.

While an emergency need for housing exists, incentives, and if necessary, other levers that make renting to the dislocated more attractive must be considered. These could take the form of tax breaks for those who offer units to the fire-displaced, and/or tax increases on short-term rentals, as well as strict controls on conversions of units from residential to short-term use.

Converting short-term rentals into long-term housing is not a perfect solution. In resort areas it will affect tourist spending and this has its own ripple effect. But as a mid-range option to support Lahaina’s disaster survivors, it is worthy of full-fledged support by all concerned, from government officials to off-island property owners.