People on Maui know the stories: Neighbors were forced from their homes not by last year’s wildfires, but by property owners looking to take advantage of the housing shortage. In some cases, renters have reported that the owners rented their homes to government assistance programs that provided housing to wildfire survivors at premium rates. In other cases, landlords rented to others willing to pay more.
Civil Beat partnered with nonprofit investigative newsroom ProPublica to take a closer look at what many are calling a secondary housing crisis resulting from the loss of thousands of homes in the wildfires. We want to know how widespread these problems are, who is responsible, who has been harmed, and what can be done about them.
To get this right, we need to hear from everyone affected by this issue. You can help us make sure our stories are inclusive, nuanced, and reflect what’s happening in your lives. If you’re a homeowner or landlord, we want to hear your thoughts on the governor’s emergency order banning most evictions and rent increases. If you’re a property manager, real estate agent, or anyone else with expertise in Maui’s housing market, we’d like to hear from you. If you work for a government agency, developer, or nonprofit, we’d like to hear from you, too. And of course, we want to hear from renters: people who had to evacuate their homes so wildfire survivors could move in, those who faced rent increases, those who were told their leases wouldn’t be renewed, and those who have left Maui.
