Question: Can COFA migrants get the Airbnbs? Is there a U.S. citizenship requirement? What about insurance? Is that a factor? Is there any out-of-pocket expense for a person to stay in the Airbnb?
Answer: Yes, Maui residents displaced by the wildfires who are from a Compact of Free Association nation (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau) are eligible for this program, which is offering 21 days of free housing at Airbnb vacation rentals on Maui. Neither citizenship nor insurance status are factors in determining eligibility, the state’s Joint Information Center said Wednesday. The displaced person or household pays nothing for this temporary housing, it said.
Hawaii’s Department of Human Services said Wednesday that Airbnb registration will continue through Friday at the Lahaina Gateway Center, 325 Keawe St., next to the Kaiser Permanente tents. To sign up, a member of the displaced household over age 18 must supply their name and a valid photo ID, plus their phone number, email address and the Maui address from which they were forced out by the fire. A news release from Maui County on Wednesday said registration would be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This lodging will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis; there were more than 200 units available as of Wednesday.
You asked about U.S. citizenship and insurance because either can be obstacles for wildfire victims signing up for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is paying for eligible displaced people to stay in Maui hotels. By law, FEMA can’t pay expenses covered by a disaster victim’s private insurance or some other program — but such victims should register with FEMA anyway, to be able to access FEMA aid if their expenses exceed their private coverage and to apply for loans from the Small Business Administration, the agency says. Likewise, FEMA has citizenship requirements that COFA migrants defined as “nonimmigrants without visas” don’t meet, but U.S.-born children of COFA migrants are eligible, and COFA households may qualify by applying in the child’s name, with the parent as a co-applicant, FEMA says. For more information, visit fema.gov/disaster/4724.
We’ll mention a third major emergency housing program for victims of the Maui wildfires, which offers the possibility of longer-term temporary housing and doesn’t exclude noncitizens or those with insurance. That’s the Hawai‘i Fire Relief Housing Program, a referral service matching displaced Maui fire victims with willing landlords in Maui and across the state.
“Terms of occupancy are private contractual arrangements between the property owners and tenants,” according to the website, dbedt.hawaii.gov/hhfdc. In other words, at this point, whatever rent is charged is the tenant’s responsibility.
Q: What are we supposed to do if we haven’t been able to get to our property for insurance purposes? I started my claim but I still want to see it.
A: We’ve received this complaint from property owners or their representatives who haven’t been able to check their homes or businesses in the Lahaina burn zone. We emailed Maui County officials last week asking about such access, but received no response.
Customers of certain insurance companies should be able to get more information about their wildfire claims today, in person in Lahaina. Representatives from Allstate Insurance, Business Insurance Services, Crum & Forster, First Insurance Co. of Hawaii, Island Insurance, RLI and Zephyr Insurance are scheduled to assist current policyholders from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Citizen Church, 4275 Hine Way, a news release said.
As you indicated, industry experts urged affected property owners to contact their insurer as soon as they could after the Aug. 8 fire to file a claim, and not to wait until seeing the property in person.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
