One ʻOhana Fund readies for launch in wake of Lahaina wildfire; Gov. Green provides housing update

Gov. Josh Green, M.D. on Tuesday announced details surrounding the planned launch of the One ‘Ohana Fund on March 1, and provided a housing update for wildfire survivors.

The $175 million One ʻOhana Fund was announced in November following the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire, which claimed the lives of at least 101 individuals in what was described as the deadliest wildfire in the nation in over a century. The fund will accept applications online from survivors who lost loved ones and survivors who suffered severe injuries and were hospitalized as a result of the disaster.

Disbursements to surviving family members who lost loved ones will be $1.5 million for those who opt in.

“My feeling is we have a moral obligation to help people heal, and so we’re gathered now to talk about what the first phase of that healing really means,” said Gov. Green in a Tuesday morning press conference from the state Capitol. “We are coming together to attempt to help people have some resources so that they can move forward.”

“The recovery fund amounts to an offer and it’s really up to people if they choose to take this offer if it’s right for them,” he said.

Gov. Green said the offer is being made because litigation can take a very long time. “They might wait years—three, four, five years—to see any resources… I know this won’t solve all of their problems or bring their heart back. I know that the distributions will only maybe help them move forward in their lives, but we want to help surviving family members to recover,” he said.

“I acknowledge no amount of money will ever, ever be able to address the unimaginable losses that people we care about suffered,” said Gov. Green.

The breakdown in funding includes: $65 million from the State of Hawaiʻi; $75 million from Hawaiian Electric Company; $10 million from the County of Maui; $17.5 million from Kamehameha Schools; and $2.5 million each from Hawaiian Telcom, West Maui Land Co. and Charter Communications.

Gov. Green said he felt it was important to get to a place where more money was offered than what people would get through a settlement, and also help families avoid large legal costs.

The fund will be administered by retired state Judge Ronald Ibarra, and First Hawaiian Bank will serve as the depositary, with services provided to the community by both, pro bono.

Gov. Green said Ibarra has the capacity as a former judge to understand the law. He also shared the importance of having someone local who understands the people of Hawaiʻi and its rural communities in this role. “I always felt he was a compassionate person… I know that he has a commitment to community. So he will be able to outreach to our family members of the victims—those that survived—and he will be able to answer their questions and address the concerns that they have,” said Gov. Green.

The governor said he is moving in an expedited way because of what he has learned from other states. “Which is: many states don’t settle claims for three, four or five years. There are a lot of elderly individuals that lost a loved one. I want them to be able to begin to move forward with their lives—to maybe care for their grandkids. That’s part of why we’re doing this,” said Gov. Green.

The fund follows several precedents set with other catastrophes such as 9-11, the Boston Marathon bombing, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to government leaders.

Funding could come “as soon as… late in the second quarter, or at the latest early in the third quarter,” according to the governor. “We’ll do all we can to move these settlements to people quickly, so that when they make a decision about land that they want to build a home again, if they do need to move on, they’ll be able to do it,” he said.

The fund is being launched before the legislature completes decisions on pending legislation. The governor’s legislative package includes bills aimed at:

• Protecting consumers from significant increases in their energy and insurance bills as a result of the fire.
• Protecting consumers while allowing for fund generation going forward.
• Improving and hardening the grid.
• Addressing the impacts of climate change.

“If we don’t address this crisis in a smart way, litigation will take us down. Costs will take us down. Companies will fail, and that will hurt all of us,” said Gov. Green.

“In my opinion, we should have a direct stream of revenue from travelers. It’s the best way that we can connect the impact on our state for many, many millions of people to the risks that we all face because we have to use resources to create fire breaks, to protect our shoreline, to fortify our homes against fire, and so on,” said Gov. Green noting that “decreasing the number of travelers while increasing revenue” would be the goal.

In acknowledging that the catastrophe occurred and people were displaced, Gov. Green said “We’re going to do all that we can to go from the first phase of recovery, which was getting people into hotels—to the second phase, which is getting everyone out into a longer term living situation, which is less expensive and better for them,” he said.

As part of the ongoing recovery, Gov. Green said the rebuilding will involve the restoration of land and the sacred site of Mokuʻula, back to the people of Lahaina.

Gov. Green said he hopes much of the cost of recovery will be carried by the federal government. There’s also a push by the governor to get the federal government to reconsider aid for those who have not qualified recently for FEMA support.

Gov. Green also provided an update on the state’s housing plan for those displaced by the Maui wildfires, which destroyed approximately 4,000 structures including homes and businesses. Of the buildings that were houses, this included 23% or 561 individuals were homeowners, 72% or approximately 1,853 people were renters and 5% were individuals who were homeless.

Gov. Green said the transition to get people from mid to long-term housing has come with a lot of challenges.

“Our collective goal is to move all individuals and families who are in short-term hotels, into long-term stable housing by July 1, 2024,” said Gov. Green who said steady progress is being made. The Maui Interim Housing Plan commits the state to securing 3,000 housing units with 18-month commitments to provide a stable place for households displaced by the Maui wildfires who are currently in the hotels.

Although 1,517 long-term rentals have been secured, the challenge is that only about 500 are in West Maui and the remaining units are across the rest of the island.

“We are trying to get everyone who wants to stay in West Maui a place that’s near their school… and job,” said Gov. Green.

As of today, about 110 people have returned to their homes that were not damaged or required minor repairs, but roads were blocked preventing access. That number is projected to increase to 433 in March and 500 by July 1, according to the governor’s projections.

There are still 1,744 families (4,185 people) living in 14 hotels through the non-congregate shelters program. That’s down from nearly 8,000 individuals. Of those families, there are about 597 FEMA ineligible households remaining, and about 1,147 households that are eligible and are waiting to move.

The new recovery fund which will exceed $150 million, will distribute money to families of those who died, and to those who suffered severe personal injuries in the Maui wildfires. The settlements will allow those who have already endured such tragedy, to begin healing more quickly.

For individuals who are FEMA ineligible, the state spent $800,000 creating Puʻuhonua o Nēnē, a temporary shelter that has the capacity to accommodate 150 individuals.

Gov. Green said the state has also acquired the Haggai Institute, a 175-unit building in Kīhei which will be used to transition some families out of hotels. The state has ordered the construction of 450 modular homes for approximately $105 million. There is also a commitment from the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation of up to $30 million to help.

He said this will provide a “bridge to the future,” when construction of long-term housing would be explored.

While more than 1,500 units have come through, Gov. Green is asking for another 850 short term rentals in West Maui until long-term housing is built. He said he is prepared to offer: a maximum of $5,000 for a one-bedroom, maximum $7,000 for a two-bedroom, maximum $9,000 for a three-room, $11,000 for a four-bedroom. To offer an STR in West Maui, visit: HelpingMaui.org/offer.

The STR units would be for 1-6 months to help the transition of individuals and families who are still in hotel units.

While earlier this month, the governor said a moratorium would “not likely” be needed during his six month update, he revisited the idea today.

“I’m not going to dwell on this today, but I am going to reiterate that I will continue to consider the possibility of a [temporary] moratorium on short term rentals in West Maui if we don’t have enough housing for our people,” he said.

“In that case, I would do the moratorium and make this exact same offer, and once we’ve filled up all of our slots for people, I would lift the moratorium,” the governor said. “But I’m not playing around. People have been in hotels quite a long time and it is very difficult on these extraordinary people who have survived the wildfire.”

View the full press conference below: