Standing on ʻāina that will forever be protected for Lahaina’s kamaʻāina families, the Lahaina Community Land Trust gathered Monday with community leaders, friends and ‘ohana to celebrate and bless the first property secured into community ownership.

At the request of the Maui County Council, Senate President Ronald Kouchi (Kaua’i, Ni’ihau) has introduced a bill to make changes to operations of the state Commission on Water Resource Management.

The US Department of the Interior has awarded the Maui County Department of Environmental Management a $15.6 million grant for recycled wastewater facilities in Lahaina, according to an announcement.

Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez has released the final, forward-looking report for the Department of the Attorney General’s investigation into official government response to the Lahaina wildfire in August 2023. The disaster claimed the lives of at least 102 people, destroyed more than 2,000 structures and left thousands homeless.

The devastating wildfires that swept through Maui in 2023 have reduced the island’s population by more than 1,000 residents, driven by increased out-migration and declining in-migration, according to a new blog entry published by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization.

Kristin Baja, who has worked on resilience hubs for more than a decade, will discuss the role of hubs in supporting sustainability during a lecture and a community forum on Thursday, Jan. 16, as part of the County of Maui Mayor’s Sustainability Series.

Roots Reborn, a nonprofit disaster response organization dedicated to supporting the migrant and immigrant communities on Maui, announced the launch of “Our Financial Future,” a financial education and aid program for migrant and immigrant survivors of the 2023 wildfires.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the allocation of nearly $12 billion in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds for communities across 24 states and territories.  The County of Maui in Hawaiʻi received more than $1.6 billion for wildfires.

This festive season brought blessings to 14 spiritual centers affected by the 2023 fires in Lahaina, as Lele Aloha, a 501(c)(3) organization founded by renowned waterman Archie Kalepa, announced a generous donation totaling $240,000.

The Office of Resiliency and Recovery today announced that the deadline to complete applications for the Hawaiʻi Interim Housing Program (HIHP) for Maui residents displaced by the August 2023 Wildfires is Jan. 15, 2025. Households that have existing applications have until Jan. 15 to complete any remaining information for HIHP processing.

The five nonprofits receiving grants from Nareit Hawaiʻi are Hawaiʻi Literacy ($35,000), Kaibigan ng Lahaina ($30,000), Hawaiʻi Land Trust ($30,000), The Pantry by Feeding Hawaiʻi Together ($25,000), and The Salvation Army ($25,000). 

Among the topics to be discussed is the recently announced $1.6 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds that was appropriated by Congress after the 2023 Maui wildfires.

Kids Hurt Too Hawaiʻi, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children and young adults experiencing grief or trauma, is offering monthly peer support groups in Lahaina and Wailuku to assist families impacted by the wildfires and other challenges.

The Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, Kaiser Permanente and Maui United Way today announced the formation of the Maui Recovery Funders Collaborative, a pioneering philanthropic network designed to support communities impacted by the 2023 Maui wildfires.

Within just 34 days, Maui company Alpha Inc. has installed 107 temporary housing units at the Kilohana Temporary Housing Project in Lahaina, according to an announcement. Of these, the company reports that 68 homes have already been made available for fire survivors to move into, a vital step toward recovery.

Maui’s eviction moratorium, established to support survivors of the devastating August 8, 2023, fires, is set to expire on February 4, 2025. Landlords and tenants will instead be able to participate in a new, state-funded mediation process by Maui Mediation Services as a first step before pursuing eviction through the courts.

The Maui Calm Project has announced its tentative launch this spring after receiving a $25,000 contribution from the Rotary District 5000 Foundation Maui Fires Relief Fund.

Wildfire recovery, the cancellation of the Maui Fair, housing solutions, and election highlights are among the stories that made our list of top features this year. Here’s a recap of some of Maui’s biggest stories in 2024.

The Rotary District 5000 Foundation has contributed $82,000 to support Na Kiaʻi O Maui’s relief efforts following the Maui fires, according to an organization announcement. The funds were used to purchase essential equipment, including a forklift and a heavy-duty truck, to meet the operational needs of the center.

A gifting initiative led by Lahaina teen, Madison “Madi” Goldsmith, and mainland nonprofit, the Lady Savant Foundation is recognizing positivity in the sustained spirit of residents following the 2023 Lahaina wildfires.