Workforce housing for educators gets underway in West Maui

State and county officials broke ground this week on a $20 million workforce housing project aimed at providing rental units for public school employees in West Maui, many of whom continue to face housing challenges in the aftermath of the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires.

The state Department of Education is leading the 47-unit project, which will be built by Maui-based Dowling Co. on approximately 5 acres situated between Princess Nahienaena Elementary and Lahainaluna High School. The rental complex is intended to support educator retention and recruitment in the region.

State schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi said the project is designed to provide housing stability for school staff.

“This development is pivotal to the retention and recruitment of our West Maui staff. We cannot afford to lose our educators. Their presence, their stability, their relationships with students is what helps our students learn, heal and move forward,” Hayashi said. “When teachers have secure housing, students have stable classrooms.”

Housing shortages in Lahaina were already a concern before the 2023 wildfires and have worsened since the disaster. According to a DOE employee survey, nearly one-third of HIDOE staff on Maui reported being displaced by the fires.

More than 20% of Lahaina-­based educators indicated they are considering leaving the state due to housing costs. For newer hires, housing affordability was the most cited factor influencing their decision to stay or leave.

The new rental complex will include one- and two-­bedroom units with income-based rents. HIDOE is still finalizing application details, but priority will be given to public school employees who were displaced by the wildfires — both those still working in West Maui and those who were forced to relocate elsewhere.

“This project responds directly to that need — the need for housing our school employees,” Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said. “That will bring consistency to our classrooms that allows those who guide, who nourish, who transport and care for our students to remain close to the places they serve.”

Lahainaluna High School Principal Richard Carosso echoed those concerns, saying housing instability threatens the fabric of school communities.

“It was hard before the fires to have people be able to commit and live and be full-time educators and staff members out here in Lahaina. The fires and the cost of living going up has just made it harder and harder,” Carosso said. “And that just hurts us from the point of building our culture of our schools — because they’re not here as readily for the kids in the afternoon, for kids in the evenings, to go to games, to be part of clubs. So bringing people back to our hill, to our place, is what this project is about.”

Everett Dowling, founder and president of Dowling Co., said the project aims to help educators get back on their feet and save for the long term.

“It’s an honor to work on this project. We’re very anxious to get started. We have a tight timetable and we’ll make that, I’m sure,” Dowling said. “Homeownership equity is the largest creator of wealth in the country. But in order to buy a home, you have to save some money. Hopefully, this project will enable employees of the DOE here on the west side to put some money aside as the community rebuilds.”

Officials emphasized that the development not only addresses housing, but also strengthens the broader recovery effort by keeping experienced educators rooted in the community.

No estimated completion date has been released yet.