FEMA approves state request to extend housing assistance for Maui wildfire survivors

Maui wildfire survivors will receive an additional year of housing assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, following the approval of a state request on Monday to extend federal support.

Under Disaster Declaration FEMA-4724-DR-HI, Financial Assistance and Direct Temporary Housing Assistance will be extended for another 12 months, now concluding on Feb. 10, 2026.

FEMA’s decision ensures that all previously approved Individual Assistance programs under the IHP will remain in effect throughout this extension period. The continued assistance includes FEMA’s direct housing assistance, financial housing assistance, and continued temporary housing assistance (rental assistance). For more information on FEMA’s disaster housing assistance, contact the FEMA HELPLINE at 1-800-621-3362.

A new report from the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization surveyed wildfire survivors on Maui and uncovered rising poverty and housing instability more than a year after the fires. The largest share of displaced residents say they remain in temporary housing and receiving assistance from FEMA, the State of Hawai‘i, or local community organizations.

Housing instability continues to pose a significant challenge, with over 60% of respondents still lacking stable housing. A year after the fires, only 15% of survey respondents from West Maui or Kula had moved into a permanent new home, while less than a quarter remain in the same home they occupied before the disaster.

In a positive step, this week Maui County approved reconstruction permits for four multi-family buildings with 24 units in Kahoma Village. These were units lost in the blaze. The development, bordering Front Street, is home to over 200 properties, featuring affordable townhomes, single-family cluster homes, and single-family alley-loaded homes.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., expressed gratitude for FEMA’s continued support: “On behalf of our state, I want to thank FEMA for responding favorably to our request. The support from FEMA and other federal partners has been crucial for the recovery of our people. I recall President Biden’s words during his visit to Lahaina, promising his administration would be with our people for as long as it takes. We are deeply appreciative of that unwavering commitment.”