Maui fire survivor first-time homebuyer program celebrates 100th family

LAHAINA (HawaiiNewsNow) – A program designed to help Maui wildfire survivors become first-time homebuyers awarded its 100th family on Tuesday.

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Ten families received qualification letters at the Lahaina Recovery Center on Tuesday afternoon, making them eligible to receive up to $600,000 toward purchasing a home.

Nancy Takafua, a mother of eight, said she was relieved after living in temporary housing for more than three years.

“Honestly, I’m just speechless. I feel like it’s been a long process of filling out applications and waiting. The waiting time is the one that kind of makes you feel like… is it going anywhere? But I’m just glad that we’re at this stage and we’re able to get a house for our children,” Takafua said.

When the county’s Hookumu Hou First-Time Homebuyer Opportunity Program launched last year, it received more than 1,300 applications in about three weeks.

“The only program of it’s kind in the United States of America. We didn’t have a blueprint for it. Nothing like this has been done before,” said Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen.

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County officials say the program is intended to help survivors of the 2023 Maui wildfires become first-time homebuyers so they can remain in Maui Nui rather than move away.

“If all we do is build back buildings but don’t recognize the faces within them, then we’ve failed our mission,” said Josiah Nishita, the county’s managing director.

For the Takafua family, Tuesday was a dream come true.

“We were thinking about moving to the mainland. But I’m from Lahaina and my husband is from Wailuku, and for us, it’s home, and we feel like it’s safer for our kids to be here,” Takafua said.

The program is funded by $1.6 billion in federal disaster recovery funds to help low-income renters.

“When you give people a chance at a home, a letter like what you’re going to get today, it’s not just about four walls and a foundation. It’s about a future for your family. Seven generations or more forward right here in Lahaina. Right here on Maui,” said U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda.

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The first families received their qualification letters about a year ago.

As of Tuesday, 43 of the 100 families have already purchased homes and moved in.

Other housing programs remain available for wildfire survivors.