Shelter opens up for homeless individuals who survived Lahaina fire
MAUI County, Hawaii (Island News) -- Dozens of people from Lahaina who were homeless before the fire ravaged the town will now have a place to stay.
The state on Friday opened up a temporary shelter for the pre-disaster homeless off of Hana Highway in Pu'unene. So far about 80 people showed interest in staying at the camp, which is equipped with fully insulated, military-grade tents, restrooms, showers, and on-site medical facilities.
"I'm so glad to see that there is a shelter like this in place, I hope that we find even more healing spaces to provide the most basic needs," organizer Nicole Huguenin said.
In addition to the roof over their heads, those staying at the shelter will also receive meals.
The state partnered with Project Vision Hawaii to erect the site, which can accommodate up to 150 people. Organizers estimated it took them about four days to stage the shelter.
"We needed to stand something up quickly and this was the best viable alternative for us and it's just the state's responsibility and kuleana to take care of its people," Joseph Campos of the Department of Human Services shared.
Once the fire broke out, providers who were already in contact with the houseless community in Lahaina began searching for them.
When the providers knew their homeless clients were okay, they helped place them in hotels until they could complete the shelter, which is named Pu’uhonua o Nene, a safe haven in Pu’unene.
"The community really responded, we put out the kahea (request) and we were overwhelmed and humbled by the response that we got from the Maui community," Darrah Kauhane of Project Vision Hawaii said.
"It's so nice to see everyone come together in this time of distress and we can have this answer for everyone. It's really been a community effort and we plan to build this space with those kanaka values and everyone can contribute to what that community is going to look like in the future."
Organizers expect they’ll keep this shelter up for 6 to 18 months before looking at more permanent options. Campos mentioned there are talks of the property becoming a long-term housing site for homeless adopting the kauhale model that the state has been offering.
For more information on the pu'uhonua, call 808-754-1241, email mauistrong@projectvisionhawaii.org, or visit www.projectvisionhawaii.org
Available at https://www.kitv.com/news/lahaina/shelter-opens-up-for-homeless-individuals-who-survived-lahaina-fire/article_72868b8c-5f1d-11ee-b73d-8f4e02c54bd4.html