Last year’s deadly wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, displaced thousands of residents. Cleanup and rebuilding are underway. But not everyone can return home. It’s not just because of fire damage—it’s the cost of housing. Lawmakers seek ways to help.
Amy Chadwick spent years saving to buy a house in Lahaina for herself and her family. Then the wildfire struck Maui. Flames leveled the home. Chadwick and her husband searched for a new home to rent, but they couldn’t find anything for less than $10,000 per month.
So Chadwick moved her family to Florida, where she could find affordable housing. She’s not alone. The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement estimates at least 1,500 households have left Hawaii since the fire.
Like most Lahaina locals, Chadwick worked in the service industry. She was a server at a fine dining restaurant. Other locals work for hotels and tour companies. The tourism industry keeps Lahaina’s economy afloat. But some folks believe the industry—which contributes to increased housing prices—is also squeezing out the workers who sustain it.
Even before the fire, Lahaina’s year-round residents had limited access to the houses that were there. What happened to all the homes? Many turned into short-term vacation rentals.
For vacationers, these spaces offer a cozy alternative to hotels. For owners, short-term rentals rake in more cash than long-term rentals.
But as houses transform into vacation rentals, the long-term housing supply dwindles. And the wildfire destroyed more local residences than vacation homes. When demand grows and supply shrinks, costs skyrocket.
“You’re pushing out an entire community of service industry people,” says Chadwick. “So no one’s going to be able to support the tourism that you’re putting ahead of your community.”
“This fire uncovered a clear truth, which is we have too many short-term rentals owned by too many individuals on the mainland,” says Hawaii Governor Josh Green. “And our people deserve housing—here.”
The Bible tells many stories of displaced people. The Israelites often found themselves driven from home. Peter describes Christians as “sojourners and exiles.” (1 Peter 2:11) We’re never entirely home on Earth. Christians look ahead with hope, because God is preparing an eternal house with enough space for everyone who trusts in Him. (John 14:2)
Still, in the here and now, Hawaii’s lawmakers look for solutions. A new bill might allow Hawaii’s counties to “phase out” short-term rentals. But that is a difficult goal. A U.S. judge previously ruled that Honolulu couldn’t ban rentals shorter than 90 days.
Rental home owners say the bill would violate their property rights. Without income from vacationers, some owners fear losing their properties. Others claim the area around Lahaina simply isn’t meant for local living, with fewer schools and other amenities.
But for people like real estate agent Courtney Lazo, Lahaina is home.
“How do you expect a community to recover and heal and move forward when the people who make Lahaina Lahaina aren’t even there anymore?” she says. “They’re moving away.”
