Kanaka Anti-Displacement Fund Supports Native Hawaiians After Fires

The catastrophic Lahaina wildfires of August 2023 destroyed hundreds of homes, took dozens of lives, and left a deep fear across Native Hawaiian communities that ancestral land passed down for generations could slip away in the rebuilding years to come. In response, Hawaii Community Lending launched the Kanaka Anti-Displacement Fund, a first-of-its-kind program focused on keeping kanaka maoli homeowners on Maui from being displaced from their homes and the land they steward.

Why the Fund Exists

Native Hawaiian homeowners in West Maui faced a long list of overlapping risks after the fires. Insurance claims can be delayed or underpaid. Mortgage forbearance periods run out. Specialized rebuilding rules for Hawaiian Home Lands add complexity. Speculative investors and cash buyers often target disaster zones, pressuring surviving homeowners to sell at a fraction of pre-disaster value.

For kanaka maoli families whose ancestral ties to a piece of land go back generations, the danger was not just financial. It was cultural. Selling under pressure would mean severing a relationship with the aina, or land, that cannot be replaced.

Hawaii Community Lending, a nonprofit community development financial institution, stepped in with a fund designed specifically to counter that risk.

How the Program Works

HCL launched the Kanaka Anti-Displacement Fund in September 2023 with an initial $150,000 of its own money, then grew it through donations and partnerships. The program has several core pieces:

• Deferred payment loans to affected homeowners, averaging around $50,000 per loan, with interest capped at 5%, repayable from insurance proceeds or other future loans.
• Budget and financial planning help for families trying to navigate the months between insurance filings and rebuilding funds.
• Insurance claims advocacy, including help filing claims and appealing denials so homeowners receive the full amount owed under their policies.
• Mortgage forbearance coordination, working with servicers to pause payments while homeowners stabilize.
• Expert and cultural guidance through HCL Ohana representatives, who connect families with legal, financial, and community resources.

The stated goal is to help up to 271 kanaka households preserve stewardship and access to ancestral aina on Maui over five years.

Who Qualifies

Eligibility centers on Native Hawaiian homeowners directly impacted by the Maui wildfires, with priority for those in the hardest-hit areas of Lahaina and Leialii. The program considers:

• Homeownership status and proof of primary residence before the fire
• Native Hawaiian lineage, often documented through family records or Department of Hawaiian Home Lands status
• Financial need, including outstanding mortgage, tax, and insurance obligations
• Risk of displacement, such as forbearance expiration, short sale pressure, or foreclosure threat

Renters and nonhomeowners are not the primary target of this particular fund, though they can access other resources through HCL and partner organizations.

The Bigger Picture on Disaster Displacement

History has shown that disasters often accelerate existing demographic shifts. After Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Superstorm Sandy in coastal New York and New Jersey, and the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, long-term residents from lower-income and minority communities often struggled to return, while wealthier newcomers and investors shaped the rebuilding.

Maui's leaders, advocates, and Native Hawaiian organizations moved quickly to try to prevent a repeat. The Kanaka Anti-Displacement Fund is one piece of a broader anti-displacement strategy that included state policy work, community land trust efforts, tenant protections in West Maui, and coordination with federal disaster agencies.

Practical Steps for Affected Families

Native Hawaiian families worried about displacement in the aftermath of the fires can take several practical steps:

1. Document the property and losses. Gather deeds, tax records, insurance policies, and photos of the home and contents.
2. File every available claim quickly. Insurance, FEMA, SBA, and state disaster programs each have their own timelines.
3. Ask for a mortgage forbearance in writing. Servicers are generally more flexible after a federally declared disaster but will not volunteer options.
4. Call the Kanaka Anti-Displacement Fund before considering a sale. Deferred payment loans can stretch out timelines long enough for insurance and rebuilding funds to catch up.
5. Connect with a Hawaiian Home Lands counselor if the property is on homestead land.
6. Seek legal help if a lender, buyer, or outside party pressures you to act quickly.

How to Support the Fund

The Kanaka Anti-Displacement Fund accepts donations from individuals and organizations who want to help preserve Native Hawaiian land tenure on Maui. Contributions flow through Hawaii Community Lending.

Bottom Line

For Native Hawaiian homeowners on Maui, the challenge of rebuilding after the Lahaina fires is more than physical. It is also a fight against the quiet forces that have stripped indigenous communities of land for generations. The Kanaka Anti-Displacement Fund gives at-risk families a tool specifically designed to keep them on the aina, with the financial and cultural expertise needed to navigate a complex rebuilding landscape.