In Hawaii, work begins in Ohana Hope Village

After devastating fires in Maui, Hawaii, there is hope—in the form of Ohana Hope Village. Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers arrived on October 7, 2024, working to build what’s called “midlevel” housing for fire survivors.

An August 2023 blaze killed 102 people and devastated part of the island. One of the biggest challenges now is lack of housing—even temporary residences—for fire survivors.

The separate 8×20-foot units, situated on a 10-acre lot owned by King’s Cathedral Maui, can be combined to make a 16×20-foot unit if necessary. All units have a prefab addition with a full bathroom and kitchenette​. Each unit has a solar covered lanai (patio) with a privacy fence.

The village is set up as a pod-style dwelling, with a community center, and six or seven units surrounding it. Pods are color-coded to match the community center.​ Each community center has a full kitchen​, laundry facilities, and covered seating for gathering.

There will be 16 of these pods when the project is complete, in late November, each with its own septic. The whole village will be surrounded by water mains and hydrants​.

Ohana Hope Village is allowed to have units on the property for up to five years. After the five years are up, they have to remove all the units. “This isn’t entirely thought through yet as they have time available to make those decisions,” explained Brian Showalter, MDS Region 4 Operations Coordinator.

The units may eventually be given to families who are still trying to rebuild but haven’t, which would involve moving the units to personal properties for temporary housing.

Showalter asked for prayers as the response begins. “Pray for all of us to be culturally sensitive and to listen to and be sympathetic to the family stories,” he said.