Editorial: More aid, housing for fire survivors

It’s not so unexpected that survivors of the devastating Lahaina and Kula fires of August 2023 continue to suffer from lost income, joblessness, higher costs of living and housing insecurity more than a year after the disaster. But what’s profoundly disturbing is the depth of poverty incurred, as revealed by last week’s Maui Recovery Survey — and it will take accelerated and sustained aid to meet needs that remain high.

Surveyors gathered data directly from the “fire-impacted” — those who lived, worked or owned businesses based in the ravaged areas — providing a window into the progress of Maui’s recovery, and a valuable tool for sorting out where needs are greatest. The results reveal that living conditions have become much worse for thousands of survivors than they were before the fires, with continuing, elevated rates of unemployment and poverty and damaging drops in income.

Thousands of housing units were destroyed, leading to a sharp rise in housing costs and crisis-level shortage of homes. At the same time, incomes for many have been dramatically reduced. In fact, nearly one-fifth of respondents saw their income drop by more than half, and the poverty rate has more than doubled — a “staggering” impact, leaving nearly 1 in 3 living in poverty, a rate more than three times higher than that shown in pre-fire 2023 Census data for Maui County.

This resulting — and continuing — jump in poverty amid a disastrous loss of housing shows that more aid is sorely needed, and should spur organizations and the state to redouble efforts to open up affordable housing in West Maui, and to support the reopening of businesses and creation of economic opportunities for those affected.

Most of those impacted by the Lahaina fire lost their homes — about 8 in 10 surveyed — and nearly half of these displaced households have been forced to leave West Maui because no housing was available.

The state’s count of displaced households based on fire damage and those seeking assistance after Aug. 8, 2023, pegged that number at 3,071. Disturbingly, however, this survey shows that more than one-third of those who worked or owned businesses in West Maui or Kula but lived elsewhere were also displaced from their homes following the disaster.

Fire-impacted households are now typically paying 43% more rent for a home that’s the same size or smaller than before. And about 1 in 7 households (14%) now live in overcrowded conditions.

These statistics provide a strong rationale for Maui County’s continued pursuit of short-term rental conversions to owner-occupied homes or long-term rentals in residential zones.

Also needed: additional “quick-build” efforts such as the Ke Ao Maluhia and La‘iku modular housing communities, supported by public and private aid efforts, and vigorous support for the House Maui initiative, combining nonprofit, business and individual support for affordable housing, with the goal of keeping overburdened households on Maui.

The high costs of paying for housing on Maui certainly played a part in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s finding of “extraordinary circumstances” justifying approval of an additional one-year extension of financial and temporary housing assistance for Maui fire survivors, which now will be available until Feb. 10, 2026.

The Maui Recovery Survey compiled responses from 402 people who lived, worked or owned businesses in West Maui and Kula at the time of the fires, representing 12,000 residents and 6,000 people who commuted to these areas before the fires.

The survey was conducted by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) in partnership with the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) and Hawaii Community Foundation (HCF). It’s a hopeful sign that CNHA and HCF are participants, as the results should inform needed and robust relief efforts by these recovery partners.