Governor Josh Green, M.D.

February 8 marked the six-month anni­versary of the Maui wildfires. As we continue to work towards recovery, I was able to visit the island again and witness firsthand the efforts of many hands on the ground. While there, I attended a long-term recovery meeting with Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, FEMA, and other fed­eral agencies and stakeholders to discuss the progress being made on Maui. I’m grateful that all partners continue to work towards the building of longer-term transitional housing options for our Maui survivors.

In addition to working toward more long-term housing, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is rapidly completing work on a new $53.7 million project to serve as the temporary replace­ment for the King Kamehameha III Elementary School, which was destroyed in the fire. The new school is expected to pro­vide classes for 600 students with a plan to open in April.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has also provided $6.9 million to help house the home­less on Maui, and an 1115 Medicaid waiver has been granted, which allows states to use Medicaid funds for housing.  The ability to use Medicaid funds for housing will decrease suff­ering and frequent visits to the hospital, and lower taxpayer costs related to caring for the homeless by up to 73%. As we continue to reiterate, we believe housing is health care.

While we have been making significant progress in several areas, there is still a long road ahead toward recovery. I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to these efforts and continues to work on positive changes for a path forward for Hawai‘i.    

             
Mahalo,