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Federal officials are telling residents affected by the 2023 Maui fires whose private insurance financial assistance is about to expire that they may still qualify for help from the government.

When the county held a community meeting at Lahaina Gym in late August, many homeowners and renters who lost their homes were still in the dark about what would happen when their “additional living expense” insurance benefits expired. Homeowners were particularly worried because they said they were still making mortgage payments on “ashes” and “dirt” and now may have start paying rent.

“I just want to reiterate that FEMA is here to help,” FEMA Region 9 specialist Brian Bui said at the latest community meeting last week. “So, if you do have insurance, you still may be eligible for financial assistance, and this is to extend (help) to both owners and renters.”

For those who initially applied for FEMA help and did not have renters’ or homeowners’ insurance, the initial rental assistance kicked in immediately after a FEMA inspection, Bui said.

Those with private insurance will still have to wait until their additional living expense benefits end to apply for FEMA help. But the prospect of an estimated 10-day to 30-day waiting period for a response from FEMA — which was causing anxiety for residents who attended August’s meeting — is actually taking only a few days, Bui said last week.

Nicole Timon-Shipman of FEMA said more than 4,200 households have received FEMA rental assistance, and nearly 700 households have been approved for its Continued Temporary Housing Assistance program.

FEMA had already approved $30 million for the first chunk of financial rental assistance. For the continuation program, an additional $14.5 million was approved.

“It can be daunting at times, but we do have staff on island that can assist you throughout the whole entire process,” Bui told residents.

He encouraged them to start gathering all the documentation necessary for financial assistance before their private benefits run out, and then apply for FEMA help on the day after cashing the last insurance check.

If the applicant meets the eligibility criteria, the initial rental assistance will cover two months of rent at 100% of the fair market rate set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Once this initial rental assistance expires, recipients may apply for additional assistance through the Continued Temporary Housing Assistance program. Eligible applicants will be granted 175% of HUD’s fair market rate for three months. The CTHA is renewable every three months as long as recipients still meet the criteria and FEMA is still running the program, Timon-Shipman said.

“I just want to highlight that if you are eligible for initial rental assistance, CTHA is
based on financial burden, so with that, there will be some documentation as it relates to your income as well,” Bui said.

All FEMA programs on Maui are scheduled to end in February 2025, but Timon-Shipman said Gov. Josh Green has already submitted a request to extend FEMA’s Financial Assistance and Direct Temporary Housing Assistance programs until February 2026. The request is being considered by FEMA officials, she said.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.