A coalition of social service agencies, the County of Maui, the Governor’s Office and the Realtors Association of Maui have developed a promotional program to encourage property owners and managers to make more dwellings available to those in need of housing.

The central feature of this effort will be the Maui Landlord Summit at the Maui Beach Hotel in Kahului June 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We need more housing for the housing-challenged members of our community, so we are reaching out to property owners and property managers in an attempt to find those rooms, ‘ohana, apartments or houses that have been so far held out of the rental pool.” said County Housing and Human Concerns Director Carol Reimann. “They are so needed.”

“We have people, including families, who have the assistance necessary to pay market-rate rents, but still cannot find a place to live,” Reimann continued. “The purpose of the Maui Landlord Summit is to help us fix that problem.”

The Maui Landlord Summit coalition is following a pattern that was successfully used in Honolulu and on Hawai‘i Island to reach out to property owners who may have rentals available.

Increasingly, as Maui’s housing crisis deepens, even residents with Section 8 Housing assistance vouchers or other support services cannot find places to rent.

The purpose of the Maui Landlord Summit is to provide a collaborative venue for agencies that provide financial support and other services for housing-challenged residents and landlords who could potentially open doors to rentals.

The agencies will explain their services and answer landlord’s questions about the services that would support their decision to rent.

The Maui Landlord Summit event is underwritten by a grant from the National Association of Realtors and the Realtors Association of Maui.

Agencies participating include: The Office of the Governor, Mayor Alan Arakawa, Maui County’s Section 8 Program, Department of Veteran Affairs, Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers, Family Life Center, Catholic Charities, Mental Health Kokua, Steadfast Housing and the Realtors Association of Maui.

Lunch is included in the event.

To register for the Maui Landlord Summit, you should be a

Property owners and representatives of property owners who could potentially offer a dwelling for rent are invited to register.

Call 270-7805 or email director.hhc@mauicounty.gov to register or for further information.

The registration deadline is June 15, 2016.