In Hawaii, MDS brings spirit of ohana—extended family

Even as the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) family currently prays for and reaches out with care to fire survivors in Los Angeles, MDS volunteers are also helping fire survivors in Maui, Hawaii, by building safe housing and bringing a spirit of ohana, or extended family.

In August 2023, a wildfire broke out on the island of Maui, destroying 1,355 homes, of which 627 were owner-occupied.

“It is not unusual for MDS to build for families whose homes were destroyed in a disaster, but seldom has MDS built for an ohana—extended family—as large as the one that will inhabit Ohana Hope Village in Kahalui, Maui,” explained Don Rheinheimer, MDS project coordinator.

“Ohana Hope Village is an unfolding dream of King’s Cathedral, a large church, and its affiliated social action organization Family Life Center to create long-term interim housing for fire survivors,” he said.

On an island where housing was already a premium, finding space for displaced people has been a significant challenge.

“As one response to the housing shortage, the Family Life Center put their dream into motion on 10 acres owned by the church and, using private funding and grants, set out to create an ‘off-grid’ community of 16 pods, each containing five to six living units around one community center,” said Rheinheimer. 

“The community center is fashioned from two parallel shipping containers with a kitchen in one unit and a laundry and power station in the other,” he said.

The containers are bridged with a truss roof covering a common dining and gathering area. “MDS volunteers currently occupy one community center and four units,” said Rheinheimer.

Each unit has an attached covered lanai—or porch— entering into an adjoining kitchenette and full bathroom. “The living unit and attached building are heated and cooled with a mini-split heat pump,” said Rheinheimer. “Each unit has its own solar power.”

Each pod has its own leach field and additional battery backup. “Water is supplied through a pipe encircling the property,” he said.

Prior to MDS arriving, progress on the village was limited to availability of employees from the Family Life Center, some subcontractors, and occasional volunteers.

But now, with their the steady presence, MDS volunteers have built a strong working relationship with local tradespeople and Family Life Center leaders.

“With a two-week cycle of volunteers and a breadth of skills and willingness, MDS volunteers are offering a consistent presence to work systematically through the repetitive range of tasks for each unit and pod: insulation, drywall, flooring, plumbing, mounting solar panels, pavers for walkways, cleaning units, assembling furniture, and several other tasks,” said Rheinheimer.

Volunteers receive a cultural orientation from the Family Life Center at the beginning of each volunteer cycle, and a celebratory meal at the conclusion.

“MDSers have increasingly become part of a family: a family that serves, supports, and celebrates the spirit of ohanathat is building interim homes and long-term hope in Maui, Hawaii,” said Rheinheimer.

The homes are considered “interim” because ultimately, they will be moved elsewhere when their emergency zoning permit expires and permanent housing is rebuilt in Lahaina, a long-term project in which MDS also hopes to be involved.