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 Ho‘okumu Hou program pre-enrollment on Aug. 11. Newly named Ho‘okumu 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.

Ho‘okumu Hou programs are open to individuals and families who meet eligibility requirements that include income limits and loss of property during the 2023 Maui wildfires.

“We are committed to making the application process straightforward and accessible, especially to those who need funds the most,” said John Smith, County Office of Recovery administrator.

The County will be presenting information on the following programs that will launch on Aug. 11:

• Single-Family Homeowner Reconstruction Program - Provides assistance to reconstruct homes lost to the wildfires for eligible homeowners who have not yet started to rebuild.
• Single-Family Homeowner Reimbursement Program - Provides up to $400,000 to eligible homeowners who have completed reconstruction of their home that was destroyed in the wildfires.
• First-Time Homebuyer Opportunity Program - Provides up to $600,000 to eligible residents who do not own a home, for the purchase of a home.

Informational meetings on the Ho‘okumu Hou programs are as follows:

Ho‘okumu Hou In-Person Meetings
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Lahaina Civic Center Social Hall, 5-8 p.m.

Three back-to-back community meetings will cover each of the housing programs, with one hour dedicated to each program. Each meeting will start with a presentation on the program, followed by a Q&A session and an opportunity for one-on-one discussions. Residents are welcome to attend all three meetings, or drop in for the meeting(s) of interest.

• 5 p.m. - First-Time Homebuyer Opportunity Program
• 6 p.m. - Single-Family Homeowner Reconstruction Program
• 7 p.m. - Homeowner Reimbursement Program

Ho‘okumu Hou Online Meetings
Friday, Aug. 1, 2025
3-6 p.m.

Three back-to-back webinars via Zoom will cover each of the housing programs, with one hour dedicated to each program. Each meeting will start with a presentation on the program, followed by a Q&A session. Residents are welcome to attend all three meetings, or drop in for the meeting(s) of interest.

• 3 p.m. - First-Time Homebuyer Opportunity Program
• 4 p.m. - Single-Family Homeowner Reconstruction Program
• 5 p.m. - Homeowner Reimbursement Program

The in-person meetings on July 30 will be livestreamed on the County of Maui’s Facebook page; no account is needed to view. A live broadcast of the meetings will also be shown on Akakū: Maui Community Media, Channel 53

The online meetings will be accessible through a single meeting link. To register for the online meetings, visit www.mauirecovers.org/events. For more information about CDBG-DR and the Ho‘okumu Hou programs, visit www.mauirecovers.org/cdbgdr.