Plan coming together to open homes for Maui displaced by September

by: Nikki Schenfeld

Posted: Aug 23, 2023 / 05:00 PM HST

Updated: Aug 23, 2023 / 06:16 PM HST

HONOLULU (KHON2) — A temporary housing project is being set up to house those displaced by Maui fires.

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Family Life Center leased land from King’s Cathedral where the project is underway.

Eighteen containers were transported to Maui to serve as temporary homes and were flown in by military aircraft.

“We started planning immediately the day after the fire we just recognized that people were going to need help and now all of a sudden that houseless population has exploded,” said Maude Cumming, CEO of Family Life Center Maui, whose organization helps unsheltered find housing.

The goal is to get kupuna and families into housing first. They will have access to water and plumbing and all homes are fire proof.

Units can be combined to provide more room for families.

“Hopeful to get 250 total units to house 250 families or up to 1,000 people that will come in waves. We’re hoping to get more ocean shipment, more C17, if we can make it faster we will. The goal is the end end of September to have at least 150 units,” said Al Smith, the director of Continest.

Local plumbers, electricians and solar companies are chipping in with the build and hotels are donating items like beds and furniture. Each unit also coms with donated air conditioning units.

“This is supposed to be locals rebuilding their community,” said Smith.

“Family life center has a goal to provide these people with more than four walls and a bed. Every unit is going to have kitchen, bathroom, private closed lanai in a pod of six or four with a community hale in the center. Larger kitchen applicances, meeting spaces for mental health professionals how to recover from this and move forward,” said Melissa Humphrey, Family Life Center’s project manager.

FEMA still encourages victims to register with them to see which housing situation is best. The agency has already put hundreds of people into hotels across Maui.

“We will work with the hotels in a safe housing situation. We also work very closely with the states and the county. For longer-term housing and that’s an issue here on Maui,” said FEMA spokesperson Darrell Habisch.

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