Hawai’i Interim Housing Program (HIHP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
(Updated 3/12/25)
Q: What is the Hawaiʻi Interim Housing Program (HIHP)?
A: The Hawaiʻi Interim Housing Program (HIHP) assists those displaced by the August 2023 Maui wildfires by placing survivor households in temporary state-sponsored housing. The program is administered by the Hawaiʻi Office of Recovery and Resiliency (HI-ORR) in collaboration with the State of Hawaiʻi’s Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC).
HIHP includes all State of Hawaiʻi interim housing locations related to disaster declaration DR-4724-HI Maui Wildfires recovery. Locations include Hale ʻO Lāʻie (formerly the Haggai Institute in Kīhei) (approximately 130 units), Ka Laʻi Ola in West Maui (approximately 450 units), and the Hawaiʻi Disaster Rental Assistance Program (RAP), which places survivors in temporary rental units.
NOTE: Applying for, or having a pending or approved HIHP application, does not guarantee placement in a unit.
Q: Can I still apply for HIHP?
A: No. As of January 16, 2025, HIHP no longer accepts applications. There are limited housing units available. For those who still have disaster-related housing needs, the Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP) at 211 or 808-275-2000 can connect applicants to additional State and partner resources for recovery assistance.
Q: Will I be required to sign up for the Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP) to be in HIHP?
A: Yes. Applicants to HIHP are required to sign up for and remain active in the Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP) to be eligible for HIHP. The DCMP is a FEMA-funded resource that connects disaster survivors to trained case managers who are skilled at developing a disaster recovery plan and have insight into resources, ideas, and opportunities. Applicants who have applied to DCMP but have not yet been assigned a case manager may still be eligible for HIHP.
Q. I don’t think I need the DCMP services. Why do I have to sign-up with the Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP) to participate in HIHP?
A: DCMP is a specialist service assisting disaster survivors to recover from the impacts of disasters. Those who are HIHP eligible have indicated a need for the interim housing that is being coordinated by the State in response to the wildfires. As there is limited inventory for HIHP interim housing, disaster case managers work with survivors to develop personalized recovery plans, which may or may not include State-provided interim housing.
Q: How do I sign up for the Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP)?
A: To learn more or begin the process of enrolling in the DCMP call 211 or 808-275-2000.
Q: Can I choose to go into HIHP even if I am eligible for FEMA housing support?
A: No. HIHP housing inventory is limited. There are other forms of disaster housing assistance including FEMA housing benefits. HIHP is for survivors who are not eligible for FEMA or other current disaster housing assistance. Please do not leave a FEMA housing solution to try to receive HIHP assistance. If a survivor is eligible for FEMA housing support and voluntarily turns it down, they will not be referred for placement in a HIHP temporary housing unit.
Likewise, any survivor who is removed or evicted from another disaster housing program (including FEMA housing) for occupancy violations or for behavior-based reasons will not be placed in a HIHP housing unit that has the same or similar rules of conduct.
If a survivor has been offered a FEMA housing benefit but is unable to make use of the benefit (meaning the FEMA benefit is unapplied for or unused) the survivor may still be eligible for HIHP. Eligibility will be determined based on FEMA status and verification that the benefit provided by FEMA cannot provide benefit to the survivor.
Q: If I leave my FEMA housing solution will I be eligible for HIHP?
A: No. Leaving your FEMA housing solution will not make you eligible for HIHP. Anyone who voluntarily leaves a FEMA housing solution is not eligible for HIHP. Do not leave a FEMA housing solution to try and join HIHP; this would only result in loss of the FEMA housing solution.
Q: When is the last day I can start an application?
A: The last day to have started a new application for HIHP was December 15, 2024. New applications for HIHP are no longer being accepted.
NOTE: Applying for HIHP does not guarantee placement in a unit.
Q: Is there a date by which I must complete my application?
A: The last day to have completed an application to HIHP was January 15, 2025. No application submissions will be accepted after this deadline. Applications submitted before January 15, 2025, were reviewed for eligibility.
NOTE: Applying for HIHP does not guarantee placement in a unit.
Q: Is it possible to submit an application after the deadline?
A: Late application requests were accepted until March 17, 2025 and required proof of unforeseen and verifiable circumstance outside of the applicant’s control.
Q: I was asked to send in more information or documents. When do I need to submit them?
A: Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 11:59PM is the deadline. All products must be received by HIHP no later than this time. To fulfill any HIHP requests for more information and to turn-in documents requested by HIHP, please do so by Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 11:59PM. After April 30, 2025, at 11:59PM, any pending applications that needed more information or documents will no longer be reviewed and will be administratively closed.
Q: How do I know whether I completed my HIHP application?
A: To have a completed HIHP application, an application must have first been initiated. Upon initiating an application, the computer system automatically generates an email that states: “An account has been created for you with this email address.” This email means that an account/application was created. It does not mean completion of an application.
Applicants who completed an application for HIHP online received another automatically generated email. This email was sent to the registered email address entered for the account and states, “You have successfully completed your application for the Hawai‘i Interim Housing Program (HIHP).”
For inquiries about application status, please call the Contact Center at 808-727-1550, between 9AM and 5PM, Monday through Friday.
Q: Am I eligible for HIHP?
A: You may be eligible for HIHP if:
- You are not eligible for certain forms of disaster housing assistance, you lived in Maui County at the time of the disaster; AND
- You are displaced from your residence due to the Maui wildfires, OR
- You faced disaster-related income loss that resulted in the loss of your home.
Q: Are there income, demographic, or citizenship requirements for this program?
A: No. Initial eligibility for HIHP is not assessed based on income, demographic makeup, or citizenship of household members.
Q: I received a message that my application was administratively closed. Why was my application administratively closed?
A: Administratively closed means that HIHP has determined one or more of the following:
- You have a form of interim housing.
- You have access to another housing solution.
- You are currently receiving temporary housing assistance from another program (including but not limited to a FEMA program).
- The HIHP team attempted to contact you for thirty (30) days for more information about your application and did not receive a response.
- You, or a member of your household, did not pass the background check process for HIHP.
NOTE: If you think your application was closed in error, please contact the HIHP Contact Center at 808-727-1550, between 9AM and 5PM, Monday through Friday, to request a reconsideration of this decision.
Q: I have already received assistance related to the Maui wildfires. How can I still request housing assistance?
A: HIHP is no longer accepting new applications. For those who still have disaster-related housing needs, the Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP) at 211 or 808-275-2000 can connect applicants to additional State and partner resources for recovery assistance.
Households that have already submitted a HIHP application will be considered in the HIHP eligibility review process and may still be found eligible for HIHP, even if they have received other housing assistance.
NOTE: Applying for, or having a pending or approved HIHP application, does not guarantee placement in a unit.
Q: I was unhoused before the wildfires, am I eligible for HIHP?
A: No. The HIHP program is for those displaced from their homes by the August 2023 Maui wildfires. Survivors who were experiencing homelessness prior to the wildfire can visit homelessness.hawaii.gov/help to get help or call 211 or 808-275-2000.
Q: If I am found eligible for HIHP, am I guaranteed a housing unit?
A: No. Eligibility does not guarantee placement in a HIHP interim housing unit. Placement in an interim housing unit is based on the availability of units that meet the needs of a household.
Q: Do I need to pass a background check to be eligible?
A: Everyone in a household aged 18 and older must complete a background check to qualify for HIHP. Background check results will be assessed on an individual and household basis.
Q: What documentation do I need to provide?
A: Applicants to HIHP may be asked to provide documentation. Some common examples are:
- Proof of identity. This documentation does NOT have to indicate citizenship status.
- Proof of pre-disaster residency within Maui County and that the address was your primary residence.
- Proof of disaster related income loss and inability to pay rent or mortgage that resulted in the loss of your primary residence.
- Documentation of any other assistance you may have received related to the Maui wildfires.
Q: Can I talk to someone in-person to complete my application?
In-person support is available on Maui in Lahaina and Kahului, Monday through Friday between 10AM and 2PM. All in-person support is by appointment only. To make an appointment call the HIHP Contact Center at 808-727-1550, between 9AM and 5PM, Monday through Friday.
NOTE: In-person appointments are only for applicants who are providing documentation for their HIHP application. Any other needs or questions can be directed to the HIHP Contact Center at 808-727-1550, between 9AM and 5PM, Monday through Friday.
| Office | Address |
| Kahului Resource Center | 153 E Kamehameha Avenue Suite 101 Kāhulu‘i , HI 96732 |
| Lahaina Resource Center | Lahaina Gateway, Unit 102-B 325 Keawe Street Lahaina, HI 96761 (near Ace Hardware) |
Q: Which members of my household will be housed in HIHP?
A: HIHP is designed to temporarily house families as they were at the time of the August 2023 Maui wildfires. Applications should reflect who lived in the household at the time of the wildfires. Special considerations may be made for life events that result in changes to your household composition since the time of the wildfires.
Q: What are my housing options if I am approved?
A: HIHP housing pathways include Hale ʻO Lāʻie (formerly the Haggai Institute) in Kīhei, Ka Laʻi Ola in West Maui, the Hawaiʻi Disaster Rental Assistance Program (RAP), which places survivors in temporary rental units, and the DHS Housing Support GAP Fund. More housing pathways may be added to HIHP in the future. If approved for placement, a HIHP team member will contact and work with you to match your household to an available housing solution that best meets your needs as units become available. The timeline for placement is dependent on unit availability.
Q: Will the program ask me for money?
A: Applicants placed in an interim housing unit will not be asked to contribute to rent or utility payments through August 2025. The operation and maintenance of HIHP interim housing is currently managed and funded by the State. Applicants in any of the HIHP interim housing options are encouraged to actively work toward a full recovery, which includes paying rent. Your DCMP case manager can help connect you to additional State and partner resources for recovery assistance. The DCMP can be reached at 211 or 808-275-2000.
Q: Will I be paid directly from this program?
A: No, HIHP does not make direct payments to survivor households.
Q: What will the program do with the personal information I provide?
A: The information provided will be used to evaluate an applicant’s needs and eligibility. Household data will not be sold. Applicant information may be shared with State and Federal agencies, their contractors, nonprofit organizations, and other partner agencies for the purpose of providing recovery assistance related to the August 2023 Maui wildfires.
Q: How long can I remain in the interim housing provided to me?
A: The length of your stay in an interim housing unit depends on several factors and will be assessed on an ongoing basis. Announcements relating to program extensions or recertification requirements will be made publicly and transmitted directly to applicants who are both eligible and participating using texts, emails, phone calls, or in some cases, letters. It is important to keep contact information updated to receive timely notifications.
Q: Are there housing units available for those with access and functional needs?
A: Yes. Some interim housing units can accommodate access and functional needs. HIHP will attempt to match you to the interim housing unit that best meets your needs. A physician’s assessment letter may be required to support access and functional needs requests. We do not collect or request information about underlying medical conditions. HIHP only needs information to understand what accommodation may be required in order for a housing unit to meet your need for access or functionality.
Q: Can I bring my pet(s)?
A: HIHP interim housing sites may be able to accommodate pets. HIHP will attempt to match you to the interim housing unit that may be able to meet your needs.