#UHERO

The 2023 Maui wildfires were linked to significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety among residents, with impacts extending beyond the burn zones and closely tied to housing and income disruption. That’s according to a new University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa study published March 11 in “JAMA Psychiatry.”

Hawaiʻi’s economy is moving beyond last year’s mild recession, but the recovery will be gradual, according to the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization’s first quarter forecast for 2026 released on Feb. 27. Maui is the standout, as ongoing recovery from the disastrous 2023 wildfires will continue to propel rising tourism activity, if at a slower pace than last year.

Maui Youth & Family Services hosted a Youth Mental Health First Aid training on Friday, Feb. 13 at the Maui Family YMCA West Side Resource Center.

Most Hawaiʻi residents believe sea level rise is already affecting the state, expect major impacts within their lifetimes, and support significant changes to how and where development occurs. At the same time, many remain uncertain about how large-scale adaptation should be financed.

A new report shows Hawaiʻi’s wages and productivity have lagged the rest of the country for more than three decades, placing the state among the most economically distressed in the U.S.

In response to the devastating 2023 wildfires, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos have donated $1.5 million to support Lahainaluna High School students, along with an additional $2 million to fund research aimed at mitigating future wildfire risk through vegetation management. The gift builds on an earlier generous donation from the Bezos Earth Fund to the East Maui Watershed Partnership.

In recognition of Poverty Awareness Month, Child & Family Service highlights the wide range of programs and services available across Hawaiʻi to help individuals and families address financial hardship and build long-term stability.

Economists say Maui’s tourism industry is “outperforming” other islands as visitors continue to return after the 2023 wildfires, a trend that could help cushion the island from an overall weakening economy.

The report shows that people with disabilities, both pre-existing and newly acquired after the disaster, continue to face disproportionate hardship two years after the fires. 

Maui County recently released design options for the once-bustling business district of Front Street that include plans to keep it as a two-lane road open to pedestrians and cars.

In a new op-ed, policy analyst Jonathan Helton shares how red tape, economic losses and resident departures are slowing Lahaina’s recovery — and why policymakers must act quickly to change it.

UHERO forecasts a mild recession in the islands over the next year, with the weakening US economy threatening a potentially deeper downturn. The Maui condo market has seen a large plunge in activity, with the value of resales down nearly 50% compared with mid-2023. This reflects in part uncertainty over Bill 9.

County attorneys have been careful not to reveal their legal strategies but say they believe the bill is legally sound.

The study found that while many survivors still report lingering symptoms, those with stronger social support networks experienced better mental health and resilience, even in the face of hardship.

Nearly two years after the devastating Maui wildfires, survivors of the disaster are showing encouraging signs of recovery, although problems with healthcare access, children’s mental health and housing instability persist, according to a report by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization. The results come from the latest update of the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study, […]

While residents who have been living in the Lahaina burn zone are happy to see the rebuilding starting to pick up, it is “bittersweet” knowing that it will never be the same as it was.

The UHERO second quarter forecast for 2025 reports: “sharp increases in US import tariffs, sweeping federal layoffs, and volatile fiscal and immigration policies are undermining consumer confidence, raising inflation expectations, and worsening the business outlook—both nationally and in Hawaiʻi’s visitor-dependent economy.”

Nearly a year and a half after the devastating August 2023 wildfires, new survey results from the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO) highlight persistent housing unaffordability, elevated poverty and unemployment rates, and ongoing economic hardship among fire-impacted households on Maui. Launched in August 2024, in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the Maui Recovery Survey: Housing and Jobs is designed to […]

The Hawaiʻi HomeOwnership Center collaborated with key stakeholders to release a new, independently-commissioned report Monday examining the effects of construction defect litigation on Hawaiʻi’s housing market—first-time homebuyers, current homeowners, builders, and the overall housing industry.

Contractors worry a rise in costs could make it harder for people to afford rebuilding burned homes.