Maui residents displaced by the 2023 wildfires have until Dec. 15 to submit a new application for the Hawaii Interim Housing Program.

What You Need To Know

  • Households that have existing applications have until Jan. 15, 2025 to submit any required information still outstanding for HIHP processing
  • HIHP is managed by the Hawaii Office of Recovery and Resiliency in partnership with the state Department of Human Services and the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation
  • The program has been open for applications since July 2024. Currently, 235 survivor households are being housed via the program in 148 units across Maui
  • Households are encouraged to apply even if they are unsure of their eligibility. There is no cost to apply and those placed in interim housing will not be required to pay rent or utility bills through August 2025

 

Households that have existing applications have until Jan. 15, 2025 to submit any required information still outstanding for HIHP processing.

HIHP is managed by the Hawaii Office of Recovery and Resiliency in partnership with the state Department of Human Services and the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.

The program has been open for applications since July 2024. Currently, 235 survivor households are being housed via the program in 148 units across Maui.

HIHP includes all state of Hawaii interim housing sites related to DR-4724-HI Maui wildfires recovery, including Hale O Laie (formerly the Haggai Institute in Kihei), Ka Lai Ola in West Maui, and the Hawaii Disaster Rental Assistance Program, which places survivors in temporary rental units. Additional interim housing sites may also become available in future.

HIHP is available to those who are not eligible for other forms of disaster housing benefits from insurance, FEMA, or other disaster aid providers; lived in Maui County at the time of the disaster; and either were displaced from their primary residence due to the Maui wildfires or faced disaster-related income loss that resulted in the loss of their primary residence.

Households are encouraged to apply even if they are unsure of their eligibility. There is no cost to apply and those placed in interim housing will not be required to pay rent or utility bills through August 2025.

HIHP applicants may need to provide the following documentation:

  • Proof of identity (no citizenship requirement)

  • Proof of pre-disaster residency in Maui County

  • Evidence of disaster caused income loss and inability to pay rent or mortgage resulting in the loss of your pre-disaster residence

  • Documentation of any other assistance received related to the Maui fires

For more information and to apply, visit https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/hhfdc/hawaiistaterecovers/ or call 1-808-727-1550. Translation assistance is available for those with limited English proficiency.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.