Gov. Green hails philanthropic effort by Matson and HomeAid Hawai‘i for Maui housing recovery

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., announced a multimillion-dollar, private-sector partnership that will hasten the installation of critically needed infrastructure and put roofs over the heads of Maui wildfire survivors.

“The wildfires happened on Maui, but affected all of us across the state very deeply. It was clear from the very beginning that we would need all who are able to help, to do so — and in our unique Hawai‘i way, the collaborative sharing in the recovery work is still underway,” said Green.

Matson has committed to donating $5 million in cargo transportation services to state- and county-supported Maui recovery projects, including housing. The Ka La‘i Ola project by HomeAid Hawaiʻi, the state, Maui County and Hawai‘i Community Foundation, is the first to benefit from Matson’s assistance. It is a contribution expected to continue for years and to involve multiple actively involved nonprofit organizations.

“This is something we can do to further support Maui’s recovery and we appreciate Green’s efforts to create partnerships like this to make these important projects happen,” said Matt Cox, Matson chairman and CEO. 

Since May 2024, the partnership between Matson and HomeAid Hawai‘i has resulted in 10 shipments utilizing a mixture of flat racks and containers with more than 143 tons of materials such as ground frames, steel material for home placements and infrastructure materials, to actual modular housing units. 

“Developing at the scale of Ka Laʻi Ola within a short time period adds significant costs when seeking out-of-state resources, making our partnership with Matson and the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation a critical asset to this project and HomeAid Hawaiʻi’s business model,” said Kimo Carvalho, executive director of HomeAid Hawaiʻi. 

HomeAid Hawai‘i and its contractors are on track to complete the first 270 units by December 2024 and the remaining 180 units by the first quarter of 2025. Starting Aug. 9, 2024, Ka La‘i Ola will be welcoming ‘ohana in phased openings. 

Matson numbers so far:

• Loads carried for HomeAid to date: 45, mostly containerized
• 30 more container loads booked for September delivery
• Container capacity: 2,700 cubic feet
• Load weights vary from 4,000 lbs to more than 39,000 lbs so far

Since May 2024, HomeAid Hawai‘i has utilized the Matson partnership for 10 shipments, including infrastructure materials and modular housing shipments. The total weight (in pounds) for these 10 shipments includes the following:

• 37,185 – Shipment 10
• 18,794 – Shipment 9 
• 18,014 – Shipment 8
• 38,321 – Shipment 7
• 37,304 – Shipment 6
• 37,776 – Shipment 5
• 16,324 – Shipment 4
• 16,160 – Shipment 3
• 39,225 – Shipment 2
• 30,016 – Shipment 1

Shipments have utilized a mixture of flat racks and containers.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, as one of several state agencies focused on the housing recovery effort, is providing storage at no cost at both Honolulu and Kahului Harbors to support the shipment of modular housing units. 

“Transporting needed supplies and equipment to Maui has been a vital component in the ongoing recovery effort,” said HDOT Director Ed Sniffen. “As we focus on providing longer-term housing for survivors, Matson’s generous donation allows the state to put more money into building housing faster.”