#Hookumu Hou

The County of Maui has extended the Hoʻokumu Hou application deadline to Dec. 31, 2026, and expanded eligibility for wildfire recovery programs following an increase in federal income limits.

Proposed updates to the County of Maui’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery, Action Plan involving the Strategic Voluntary Mitigation Buyout Program are now available to view on the Hoʻokumu Hou website.

Topics to be discussed include: Restoration of the Lahaina Royal Complex; Ongoing and upcoming state Department of Transportation projects; The County Department of Water Supply’s upcoming Lahaina Watermain Project; Community input on the proposed Lahaina community center and field house; and Updates from the County Office of Recovery, including information on Hoʻokumu Hou programs.

Property owners whose homes were destroyed by the Lahaina fire in 2023 have until Aug. 31 to apply for reconstruction and reimbursement programs.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery’s Hoʻokumu Hou program announced major investments in the long-term recovery from the 2023 Maui wildfires with the selection of seven multifamily rental housing projects and 22 infrastructure and mitigation improvement projects that have been conditionally awarded Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding.

Home design renderings and floor plans for the Hoʻokumu Hou Single-Family Homeowner Reconstruction Program are now available to view on the Hoʻokumu Hou website, and the application deadline has been extended through August 2026, the County of Maui Office of Recovery has announced.

In 39 days, those types of gatherings will not be possible for the 1,475 individuals still in FEMA-funded housing on Maui if the deadline is not extended. In November, the state requested a 12-month extension to the current deadline.

Marking a significant chapter in rebuilding, the County of Maui Office of Recovery announced that eight families received First-Time Homebuyer Opportunity Program shopping letters today, which allow them to begin shopping for a house within their approved price range.

George Dacuycuy and his grandson, 21, are among the first applicants to get the go-ahead from the Ho‘okumu Hou first-time homebuyers program.

Hoʻokumu Hou’s First-Time Homebuyer Opportunity Program application period will close Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, the County of Maui Office of Recovery announced at Wednesday night’s Lahaina Community Meeting. However, applications for Hoʻokumu Hou’s Single-Family Homeowner Reconstruction and Single-Family Homeowner Reimbursement programs will remain open.

Of the 446 applications already filed, 76% are for the first-time homebuyer program, reflecting the impact of the August 2023 wildfires on renters and the ongoing struggle of residents to afford a home in today’s pricey market.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery will host an additional community information session online from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, to present finalized policies for the upcoming Hoʻokumu Hou housing programs.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery will be hosting a series of community meetings on July 30 and Aug. 1, 2025, leading up to the opening of Hoʻokumu Hou program applications on Aug. 11. Newly named Hoʻokumu Hou, which will cover all of the County’s recovery programs funded by federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds, will focus on housing initiatives intended to help wildfire survivors receive the means they need to stay, or return, home.