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- The fires in Maui, Hawaii, displaced 6,200 families, many of whom are still looking for housing.
- Some locals have left the state altogether, while others are desperate to stay in their communities.
- Lawmakers are weighing a bill aimed at curbing short-term rentals across Hawaii.
When the fires in Maui, Hawaii , tore through the historic town of Lahaina in August 2023, 6,200 families were suddenly homeless, left to scramble for long-term housing through the sea of short-term rentals that have proliferated on the island.
Amy Chadwick, a Lahaina resident whose home burned in the fire, told The Associated Press she wasn’t able to find housing in Maui that worked for her family for less than $10,000 a month. Instead, Chadwick and her family moved to Satellite Beach, Florida.
“You’re pushing out an entire community of service industry people. So no one’s going to be able to support the tourism that you’re putting ahead of your community,” Chadwick, who works as a server at a fine-dining establishment, told AP. “Nothing good is going to come of it unless they take a serious stance, putting their foot down and really regulating these short-term rentals.”