Over 2,200 families approved to remain in temporary lodging

More than 2,200 of the families displaced by the Maui wildfires who are receiving shelter in hotels and similar lodging have completed the required eligibility process and are approved to continue in those shelters until longer-term housing is ready, the Governor’s Office said Friday.

The American Red Cross has been providing shelter to nearly 3,200 households who were displaced from their homes by the fires — about 7,800 people — for the past 45 days. The non-congregate sheltering program allowed them to begin to recover in more stable settings with lower health risks than the group shelters that were set up immediately after the fires.

Friday marked the end of the “safe harbor” period when lodging was available to everyone regardless of FEMA eligibility. After the end of the period, the Red Cross needed to collect data to ensure people had lost their housing due to the fire and were eligible to continue in the shelter program.

As of noon Friday, about 800 households still in the program needed to contact Red Cross to resolve one or more questions to establish eligibility. For fewer than 600 of those households, the only remaining eligibility issue was registration with FEMA.

Red Cross workers also were available in hotel lobbies to help displaced residents who are not citizens. The program is available regardless of citizenship or immigration status, and the Red Cross said it does not share data with the government about those topics. Interpreters were also on-site.

To remain in the program, residents had to have established eligibility by the end of Friday.

Households that hadn’t met the eligibility requirements received multiple phone calls, text messages and letters from the Red Cross to complete their registration, the Governor’s Office said. As of this week, they were informed that they had 48 hours to contact the Red Cross or they would lose key access to their lodging.

About 200 households were determined to be fully eligible on Friday morning alone.

“If a household in NCS has had its room key turned off, received a notice to provide eligibility information, or is confused or concerned about whether they can remain in NCS, they’ve been encouraged to speak to Red Cross workers stationed in the lobbies of their hotels on Friday so that we can resolve their questions and concerns before Saturday morning,” said Brad Kieserman, vice president for disaster operations and logistics with the Red Cross.

In addition to people sheltering in hotels and similar lodging, the state has made shelter arrangements in partnership with Project Vision Hawai‘i for people who did not have housing before the fires.

Together, those groups represent more than 80 percent of the population currently being housed in lodging under the non-congregate shelter program, the Governor’s Office said.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said that the 30-day program began Aug. 15 and was extended to 45 days to Sept. 30.

“I’ve received a number of concerns from our community about the status of those in temporary shelter at a hotel as we approached September 30,” Bissen said in a statement on Friday. “I was able to speak today with representatives of American Red Cross, FEMA and the State and confirm for those affected that on September 30, shelter support will continue for those who have completed registering with FEMA and the American Red Cross.”

He said the more than 2,200 households who completed registration “will either remain in their current accommodations or will be relocated to another hotel property.”

Residents with questions should contact the Red Cross at 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).