#HomeAid Hawaii

Wednesday’s celebration announced that the 450-unit, $185 million West Maui complex is complete and ready to be filled to its capacity with about 1,500 people who were displaced by the 2023 Lahaina wildfire.

The state says the homes will be converted into a kauhale — a community of tiny homes with shared amenities — though the location has yet to be determined.

The Nareit Foundation has awarded a $150,000 grant to the nonprofit HomeAid Hawai‘i to support Kīpūola Kauhale in Kahului, the first kauhale community being built for formerly homeless residents in the County of Maui.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., alongside community advocates, opened a new kauhale in an ongoing effort toward ending homelessness in Hawai‘i. This community project at 357 North King St. on Oʻahu, is designed to provide a safe, supportive and culturally rooted environment for individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness.

Kimo Carvalho, executive director of HomeAid Hawaii, will discuss “Ka Laʻi Ola: A HomeAid Hawaii Interim Housing Development Program for Maui Wildfire Survivors” at 11:45 a.m. today at Kīhei Lutheran Church, according to an announcement from the Rotary Club of Kihei-Wailea.

The Credit Unions of Maui have announced a donation of $300,000 to HomeAid Hawaiʻi’s Ka Laʻi Ola project, a housing initiative aimed at providing stable and secure shelter for survivors of the Lahaina wildfires. The project aims to house up to 1,500 displaced residents over the next five years.

Ralph Mesick, a Hawaiʻi banker with nearly 40 years of financial services experience, has joined Central Pacific Bank (CPB) as its senior executive vice president and chief risk officer, according to an announcement today by Arnold Martines, CPB chairman, president and chief executive officer.

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. 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. 

First Hawaiian Bank donated $5.2 million to community and nonprofit organizations in 2023. The contributions include: $2,480,437 in bank donations, $1,920,250 in First Hawaiian Foundation grants and $854,615 from the Bank’s employee-funded Kokua Mai campaign.

The Ka La‘i Ola interim housing development for wildfire survivors in West Maui received a significant boost today as the Hawai‘i Community Foundation through its Maui Strong Fund, announced a $40 million grant to local nonprofit HomeAid Hawai‘i.

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., has announced a new partnership with HomeAid Hawai‘i to build Ka La‘i Ola, a project that will create 450 units for wildfire survivors on Maui who were not eligible for FEMA assistance. Ka La‘i Ola is the largest interim housing development announced for Maui wildfire survivors to date. Groundbreaking will soon be announced. 

Governor Josh Green, M.D. hosted a blessing for the first kauhale site built under his Administration. The medical respite kauhale, named Pūlama Ola, is housed in the backyard of the Governor’s residence on the grounds of the Department of Health parking lot. This community housing project will serve inpatient and emergency room patients discharged from urban Honolulu hospitals who would otherwise exit medical care into homelessness.