Hawaii Gov. Josh Green speaks at the start of the Build Beyond Barriers Working Group meeting on Tuesday morning in Honolulu.

HONOLULU — Hawaii Gov. Josh Green emphasized that “Lahaina will be rebuilt how the people of Lahaina and Maui want.”

Green spoke at the start of a Build Beyond Barriers Working Group meeting on Tuesday morning at the State Capitol in Honolulu. The meeting was streamed live on Facebook.

“Housing is life for us,” the governor stated. “We know that’s one of the great challenges.”

Citing a housing crisis in Hawaii and the need to take action, Green signed an Emergency Housing Proclamation in July.

He said Maui is now dealing with a tragedy after the devastating wildfires, and the housing situation is even worse.

“The people of Lahaina are suffering terribly, as we know. The people of all over Maui are suffering, because it’s having a huge ripple effect,” the governor explained.

He said that 12,000 people were displaced by wildfires in Lahaina and Kula. Currently, 6,000 of them are staying at hotels or Airbnb locations.

Some Kaanapali resorts have told employees they will begin taking reservations from travelers on or before Oct. 17, 2023, when a state Emergency Proclamation expires.

Green noted that there’s going to be a process to help people find housing in the short term.

“In the longer term… to help them stay in stable housing for 18 months in Airbnbs and other houses, and then the questions will be how do we build temporary structures — temporary — that are not in Lahaina, and we can talk about that at great length,” Green said.

“I don’t want that to be the focus of today’s meeting.”

He added that options must be established for people who don’t want to stay in vacation rentals or hotel rooms “until the long process… of people deciding what to build and where and how in Lahaina,” he continued.

“That’s me just trying to share as openly as I can what’s going on with that process.”

He added that input is needed from Maui residents and all stakeholders.

State Lead Housing Officer Nani Medeiros, who chairs the Build Beyond Barriers Working Group, explained that the governor’s Emergency Proclamation on Housing created this working group comprised of state and county agencies, private sector experts and advocates.

“The role of the working group is to review project applications and determine whether a project meets criteria and should be certified to move forward under the process he’s created via the proclamation,” she explained.

“This group was anticipated to help expedite the review process for construction or renovation of housing projects, because of the unprecedented coordination and cooperation across government agencies and input from private stakeholders” and community members.

Medeiros asked working group members to move forward with aloha in their hearts, to listen and learn, and to work together to support communities across the state.

She said it’s too early for the group to talk about Lahaina.

“To echo the governor’s comments, Lahaina is not on the table. Not until the community is ready. If and when they are ready, if this working group can assist in any way and support them, we will,” Medeiros commented.

“We have been conducting assessments on Maui to identify land, infrastructure and housing options for those affected by the fires. We are conducting assessments of residents and communities first-hand from them — what their needs and wants are regarding housing and community. These conversations are ongoing and will continue to be, and we want to make the information available to the public.”

The group is currently working to launch its own website as soon as possible.