In the months after wildfires ravaged parts of Maui,
a burgeoning crisis began to appear.
The desperate search for clean,
safe and dependable housing for those who were displaced.
But it has not been an easy process.
Hundreds of complaints have been lodged.
In our latest edition of Maui Eight O 8,
Our Maria Villarreal looks into accusations of wrongful evictions,
raise rents and more as so many still look to
FEMA for help finding a long term place to live.
None. This is Charles Nahali's fifth move since being displaced
by the Lahaina Fire last August.
Eliminate all short term members.
Eliminate all of that.
We first met him back in September during a community
meeting,
and more than eight months later,
he's still fighting. It's unsettling,
it really is. It's still living a bit of the
trauma to this day.
Charles is one of more than
1300 fire victims enrolled in FEMA's Direct Lease program,
which converts short term rental units into long term housing
for fire survivors for up to two years.
So far, FEMA awarding contracts worth more than
$197,000,000 to three companies and states outside of Hawaii to
administer the program.
They find, lease and manage ready to occupy properties from
owners and then sublease them to displaced residents.
As of early June
1041, units are occupied by fire survivors,
but
177 units remain unoccupied. While FEMA pays property owners and
the management companies thousands of dollars a month per property,
they have to do a background check.
I was told that it would take no more than
three weeks to do.
It took three months. They were paying for the unit,
which was
three months
and over $5000 a month.
And the hotel I was in,
No matter what I do,
it just won't stop running.
When he saw that first property,
he was heartbroken. And the contract reflected something completely different
from what the actual space of the unit was.
For example, the space was a
was a studio. The contract says it's a one bedroom
and newly remodeled,
which it it wasn't. The bed was practically in the
kitchen. Talk about
breakfast in bed. So
these two representatives and FEMA,
they seem to put the fear of God in us
that if you don't take this property,
you're going to be kicked out most likely,
and you'll be on your own.
Charles was rematched to another property,
his second not any better than his first.
We're sitting at this Table 2 with FEMA representatives going
over the contract.
So three of us are sitting at this table while
we're sitting here.
This piece of granite, this is Stone Falls
and
breaks into two pieces. You can see the the crack.
Rather than move again, FEMA assured Charles they'd make the
necessary repairs.
All of these things were corroded,
so you couldn't even open it up to get air
inside.
Look at that.
It's just it cracks because it's all termite eaten there
and you can see the termite droppings on the inside.
The management company fixing some of the issues but not
all.
After our interview, Charles had to vacate his hotel shelter
with a day's notice.
The Red Cross stepping in to pay for the outstanding
repairs on his FEMA unit,
making it ready for Charles to move in.
Timothy Putnam, known as Timster on the island,
had to leave Lahaina to find housing.
So
my direct lease
effort didn't start till mid February
and it was panic time so it was like
not looking good for me.
I emailed Governor Green and with with his help and
his people's help
made by the grace of God also,
I got in the program March 6th.
So far he's been matched four times to four different
units.
The first unit was a cute little unit
but it didn't
come up to a code electrically.
The second unit was horrifying
with rat infested blood and urine on mattresses,
incredibly dirty. That was a super simple,
I didn't have to sit down to that one
because the FEMA agents that were there,
they were horrified as well.
He says he apprehensively took the third placement in Kihei,
an hour and a half commute to work.
I was instructed that I should clean it myself
and I should probably take it because I probably wouldn't
find anything better.
That was odd, so I was pressured.
Now he's battling rodents and insects,
receiving word last week from FEMA they'd be relocating him
again closer to work.
FEMA telling ABC all units require an inspection and we
make sure the house is safe,
livable, sanitary and functional before anyone moves in.
Still, he questions how sustainable living on Maui truly is
and worries he'll have to move off island eventually.
Oh, don't kill me. Be
tough. FEMA leaders admit they've had issues matching their inventory
to family needs,
like proximity to school and work,
number of bedrooms or accessibility.
So there are some circumstances where people have
rejected the offer 345 even six times to go into
housing.
And that's a challenge. Not because I don't understand,
I do understand how difficult it is to have to
commute at all.
But many of these units,
they, they simply have to be occupied.
Then in late May, another development several property owners with
FEMA contracts telling ABC News their rental agreements were suddenly
terminated by the property management company working with FEMA because
the unit had remained unmatched to an applicant.
ABC News reached out to FEMA,
but they declined an on camera interview and could not
confirm how many leases were ended.
They did point out more than 1000 people have been
placed under the program and
177 units are empty ready for move in,
and 35 families continue to search for a match,
they say. Still, residents say the community and local Realtors
have felt left out of the process.
Nawaboon Co founded Maui Housing Hui,
a nonprofit that educates the community on their rights.
This problem
is probably the biggest issue
that Maui has faced in decades.
Possibly
it comes down to the fabric of our community being
shredded
and changing every facet of it because people cannot afford
to live here.
Her organization? Hearing from people not displaced by the fire,
yet finding themselves homeless in its aftermath as some landlords
take advantage of the housing crisis.
Landlords that want to take advantage of this federal money
and raise their rents are just either going radio silent
or refusing to renew people's leases.
The Hawaii Attorney General's Office confirming to ABC News they've
received at least
227 complaints regarding these housing issues.
198 for violation of the emergency proclamation like raising the
rent and 29 for wrongful evictions.
28 violations were corrected and 37 investigations remain ongoing.
FEMA also telling ABC News our policy is clear.
If we discover a landlord has inappropriately evicted a tenant
in good standing so they may pursue a lease from
FEMA,
we will not work with that landlord.
With FEMA's payments of the rents,
proposed payments of rents in general throughout Maui County,
our rents have doubled and sometimes tripled.
Governor Green stepping in Aloha,
issuing a new emergency proclamation with added protections for tenants
against landlords who attempt to raise rent or evict tenants.
It seems like the governor is listening,
but we need him to close the other loophole.
The biggest loophole is this termination of leases.
That's the only way really to stop the this bleeding
that's happening.
The governor also announced plans to build temporary housing in
La Jointa that is expected to be ready this year.
Timster says he's grateful to FEMA that he has a
roof over his head,
no matter its flaws. I guarantee they're doing as best
as they can.
But a wise man once said the 10 most feared
words in the English language are I'm here from the
government here to help.
But not everyone is as hopeful.
FEMA help ends in in February of
2025. And they have us in places
where the rents are so high.
Every day it's getting closer.
And you, you get into knots wondering
how I'm going to survive,
what's going to happen now?
A number of unanswered questions at this point.
Our thanks to Maria for that.