- The fires in Maui, Hawaii, have displaced 6,200 families, many of whom are still looking for housing.
- Some residents have left the state entirely, while others are desperate to stay in their communities.
- Lawmakers are considering a bill to reduce short-term rentals in Hawaii.
When the Maui, Hawaii wildfires ravaged the historic town of Lahaina in August 2023, 6,200 families found themselves suddenly homeless, forced to scramble to find long-term housing through the sea of short-term rentals which have proliferated on the island.
Amy Chadwick, a Lahaina resident whose home burned in the fire, told The Associated Press she was unable to find housing on Maui that worked for her family for less than $10,000 per month. Instead, Chadwick and his family moved to Satellite Beach, Florida.
“You’re pushing an entire community of people out of the service industry, so no one is going to be able to support the tourism that you’re putting ahead of your community,” said Chadwick, who works as a waiter at a fine dining establishment. told AP. “No good will come of this unless they take a serious stand and put their foot down and actually regulate these short-term rentals.”
Other residents who lost their homes in Lahaina during the Aug. 8 fire are still in temporary housing more than eight months later.
Shannon I’i, who lost her home in the fire, told Hawaii’s KITV that her family was among hundreds still living in a hotel.
“It’s hard,” she told the outlet. “But we do what we have to do to survive.”
I said that her family had recently learned that she would have to move, and so they were looking for housing again, but they didn’t want to move. “Being able to stay on the west side of Maui with our community, that’s the most important thing to me,” she told KITV.
Vacation rentals geared toward tourists that can cost hundreds of dollars per night have long been a problem on Maui, but the Lahaina fires and the displacement of thousands of families have exacerbated the problem and made it more visible. State lawmakers are considering a bill that would give Hawaii counties the option to phase out short-term rentals.
“There are about 7,000 short-term rental units in Maui zoned as apartments and 2,200 in West Maui,” Maui City Councilwoman Keani Rawlins-Fernandez told KITV. “This would immediately provide housing for people who want to stay on West Maui, which currently represents the majority of our residents looking for housing.”
Gov. Josh Green said he would sign the bill, SB 2919, if it passes the state legislature. The bill was championed by Lahaina Strong, an advocacy group for Maui wildfire survivors.
“We’ve helped change that conversation from ‘build, build, build’ to now: ‘What about the inventory we already have?'” said Lahaina Strong member Paele Kiakona in Hawaii NewsNow.
“In addition to keeping people here and making things more affordable, we’ve potentially opened a pathway to bring our people back,” Kiakona added.
businessinsider
