The Lahaina Community Land Trust, formed after the 2023 wildfire, has secured $15 million from Maui County in its first fiscal year to permanently protect properties for fire survivors and long-term residents. The model aims to prevent outside investors from buying up Lahaina land by holding it in trust for the community indefinitely.
- The Lahaina Community Land Trust was founded after the August 2023 fire to protect local families from land speculation and displacement.
- Maui County committed $15 million in the first fiscal year to help the trust begin acquiring and protecting properties.
- Unlike traditional affordable housing, community land trust properties remain permanently protected and cannot flip to the open market.
- The trust began with a goal of saving even one property for a local family and has since grown with support from donors across Hawaiʻi and beyond.
- County of Maui had already channeled $200 million into its affordable housing fund prior to the fire, underscoring the broader housing pressure in West Maui.
Source: Civil Beat
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