Family Life Center CEO Maude Cumming stands in one of the Ohana Hope Village’s pop-up modular units on Sept. 22. The community of 85 units, built to help residents displaced by the recent wildfires, will be able to house about 250 to 300 people depending on family size. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
KAHULUI — Families and kupuna who have been displaced by the Aug. 8 fires may begin to move into a project of 85 modular homes in Kahului by around November.
Ohana Hope Village, located on a 10-acre property at the corner of Kuihelani Highway and Puunene Avenue across from King’s Cathedral, will be able to house about 250 to 300 people depending on family size, according to Maude Cumming, CEO of the nonprofit Family Life Center that is leading the effort.
The first modular homes arrived quickly on Maui — less than two weeks after the fires destroyed homes in Lahaina and Kula — as Cumming and the team at the Family Life Center, which normally cares for houseless people, felt a need to help and began planning the day after the fires.
“We have to respond. We have to do something,” Cumming said. “We just felt like this was not the normal population we serve, but it would be all these people without homes. They are all displaced. It is our kuleana.”
Cumming said last week that she always has an eye out for places where housing could be developed, so the site was easy to find and she was able to secure a two-year lease for the 10-acre property from King’s Cathedral.
Family Life Center CEO Maude Cumming stands at the entrance to one of the modular homes in Ohana Hope Village on Sept. 22. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
Cumming hopes the modular homes can help bridge the gap of displaced residents until they can find more permanent housing or rebuild their homes.
Family Life Center’s aim is to house families, especially those with children under 5 years old, along with kupuna.
At Ohana Hope Village, rent will not be charged. The homes will be off-grid and use solar power. Since she was told that Maui County’s sewer capacity in the area is full, Cumming said they are working on getting several septic tanks to support the homes.
Maui County spokeswoman Mahina Martin said Thursday night that the county has been in discussions with Family Life Center and will be able to supply water to the temporary homes when the units are made available. But as for wastewater services, “unfortunately, we are unable to provide wastewater capacity for the proposed accelerated temporary housing project,” Martin said.
Martin said the county understood that the project developer will be designing a septic system for the project.
Lopaka Kapoi of Structural Concrete and Development Co. finishes off the base for a column at the modular home Ohana Hope Village housing project near the Kahului intersection of Puunene Avenue at Kuihelani Highway on the afternoon of Sept. 22. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
The modular home sizes for families will be 16 feet by 20 feet, as two of the homes will be put together to make a larger space. Home sizes for kupuna will be 8 feet by 20 feet.
A kitchenette and bathroom will be attached to each home, which has driven up costs, but, as Cumming pointed out, “What is a mom with six kids going to do? She cannot take the family in the middle of the night to the bathroom along the way.”
The kitchenette will include a hotplate and microwave. The homes will also have screened lanais.
Cumming said they are also looking to have central areas for laundry and a stove.
On-site security and property management will also be provided.
The homes are from Continest, whose development and production of containers have been taking place in Hungary since 2017, according to its website. The company has participated in various exhibitions and trade shows around the world, including a NATO military innovation exhibition in Lithuania. It has also provided some of its products to Ukraine, its website said.
Cumming said that with the company’s global connections, Continest was able to bring the initial modular homes from Hungary via airplane to Maui on Aug. 20.
Continest said on its website that a Boeing Globemaster III C-17 transported the shelters to the Valley Isle. Cumming said this was done so Continest officials could come to Maui quickly and help Family Life Center learn how to put up the structures. Others are currently being shipped via boat.
Family Life Center has raised about 10 percent of the costs they anticipate to be in the “millions” for the project, Cumming said. She added that they began the project with some funding they had previously received through Amazon founder and executive chair Jeff Bezos’ Day One Families Fund. Shortly after the fire, Bezos and fiancee Lauren Sanchez pledged to put $100 million toward Maui relief efforts.
Cumming said Family Life Center wanted to use private funds, noting some residents’ concerns about government assistance and funding, which may come with conditions.
She added that many organizations have stepped forward to help — some for free and others with discounted prices. This includes Hawaii Off-Grid Architecture & Engineering, which quickly drew up plans for the project and has done other pro-bono projects for them.
After this project is complete, Cumming said she would want to keep the modular homes and possibly use them somewhere else.
Those interested in signing up for the project or making a donation may visit ohanahopevillage.com.
* Staff Writer Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.
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