It’s been just over 18 months since the devastating Lahaina fire changed the face of life on Maui — displacing more than 10,000 people, torching hundreds of businesses and, in its wake, severely reducing tourism, a phenomenon from which that sector has not fully recovered. And the situation remains dire for fire survivors.
Thousands remain in “temporary” living arrangements. An outsized number are still looking for work, with an unemployment rate a dismal 8% for fire-affected people. And to make matters worse, the outlook didn’t get better on housing or jobs, over the past six months.
The silver lining? Survivors would have been far worse off without the direct support of federal, state, county and nonprofit assistance — both financially and in developing and delivering housing — and had Maui tourism not rebounded, even if “anemically,” reports the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO).
Maui remains in a tough place, in other words, and all concerned must strengthen and accelerate efforts. To avoid losing people rooted on the Valley Isle, sufficient, stable housing and living-wage jobs must be secured.
Governments and a nationwide network of “helper” nonprofits are striving to make a difference in many lives — and the array of assistance will continue to be very much needed for Maui’s fire survivors and to stabilize Maui’s economy.
More than 6,800 temporary housing units for displaced families have been or will be provided by the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Maui County and private sector partners, but the problem is that they’re temporary. FEMA has committed $3 billion total for recovery, providing unprecedented support — but prospects for additional federal aid are murky. Hundreds of Maui jobs supported by federal funding were abruptly eliminated this year, and Hawaii’s nonprofits fear reduced budgets as the feds cut back. And federal emergency aid money to help with rent is expected to run out by July.
Meanwhile, 45% of displaced Lahaina households live in “temporary” places — down from 51% six months back, but still leaving far too many in precarious positions.
On the jobs front, only about 60% of those in fire-affected households who worked in tourism pre-fire are still employed by the industry. Job training has been provided by the state, University of Hawaii, nonprofits and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, and all of these efforts need to be broadened.
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen, in his State of the County address this month, said the county is “determined to get our people home; determined to rebuild.” But the county’s median household income is about $95,000, meaning half of its workforce earns less, and Maui’s affordable housing efforts have been anemic.
The county supports adding affordable housing “where feasible,” Bissen said, and kicks in for permanent supportive housing when seed money is available. And the “quick-build” effort that Maui is launching to address its homelessness problem is a “Safe Parking” program, securing places where residents living in their vehicles can park.
There’s more potential in the county’s pledge to actively participate in the Maui Homeless Alliance, which includes people who have experienced homelessness and service providers. Checking in with those who don’t have shelter to determine their needs should be mandatory, but Maui’s done little of this in the past.
Similarly, permanent housing programs, including Lahaina’s rebuild, must be rooted in the needs and preferences of Lahaina’s fire survivors, as the survivors themselves have made clear.
There is some movement: More than 1,200 new, permanent units are planned to open in the next two years. And the county’s draft Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery Action Plan, under review, allocates more than $200 million annually over six years to rebuild and develop housing and infrastructure; this must be approved.
The biggest factor in Maui’s housing shortage, sadly, continues to be the proliferation of short-term rentals (STRs), which the county has enabled over the past decade and more. Bissen has said he supports county legislation to return 7,000 STRs to long-term housing — but studies to support the transition are still pending.
There’s argument over just how much converting STRs would hurt Maui’s economy — but it surely hurts the economy to lose resident workers. Another UHERO report found that “at least” 430 to 510 Maui residents have left the state because of the fire, removing $50 million or more in annual income from circulation.
With more tapped from enterprises that profit mightily from operating in Hawaii, as well as the ultra-wealthy who live or maintain homes in the islands, this problem would be easier to solve.
Aiding Maui aids all of Hawaii, as the islands are part of a whole, and imbalance on one can tip others. This similarly applies to the private sector. All with the wherewithal must consider how best to contribute, whether with monetary donations, jobs and job training, better pay, home-building or other recovery efforts.
