On Thursday, Gov. Josh Green and the Hawai‘i Department of Human Services announced that FEMA has extended the Disaster Case Management Program, originally created after the August 2023 wildfires, allowing it to continue while control transitions to Maui County by August 2026. The program, which pairs survivors with trained case managers to help with recovery plans, housing, and benefits, will maintain uninterrupted services while local officials take a more direct role in guiding recovery efforts.
The Department of Human Services reported that the Disaster Case Management Program, which began in November 2023, has already supported more than 6,800 survivors and connected them to services valued at over $163 million. Dr. Jennifer Monaghan leads the program, and enrolled survivors do not need to take any action to continue receiving assistance. State officials said the FEMA-funded program will keep running during the transition while county teams prepare to take over day-to-day operations, according to EIN News.
FEMA housing extension keeps aid in place
Federal temporary housing assistance for Maui wildfire survivors has been extended through Feb. 28, 2027, giving displaced households more breathing room to lock in permanent housing, per Maui Recovers. The county site explains that survivors in FEMA group sites, in direct-lease units, or receiving rental assistance may stay eligible through that date if they meet recertification rules. Survivors in Direct Housing must start paying at least 25% of HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent beginning March 1, 2026. County leaders have called the extension critical, since rebuilding is moving slowly and the rental market is still tight.
From state to county: who will run the program
Local nonprofits and community-based organizations will remain on the front lines, with Global Empowerment Mission tapped as the lead support group to coordinate partners, according to Maui Now. GEM is already running a housing-specialist team that builds permanent housing plans and has worked with DHS rental assistance programs to place households that did not qualify for FEMA support. State and county officials say putting more oversight in local hands should tighten coordination among case managers, county recovery projects, and nonprofit providers as the response shifts into a long-haul recovery phase.
What survivors should do now
Officials are repeating one message for survivors already in the system, as reported by Kauai Now: no paperwork scramble required. People currently enrolled in the Disaster Case Management Program do not need to reapply or change anything and services are expected to continue without a break during the handoff. Anyone who still needs help getting a recovery plan together or wants to enroll can call 2-1-1, or 808-ASK-2000 from the mainland, to be connected with a disaster case manager.
Why this still matters
The shift comes in the long shadow of the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires, which destroyed roughly 2,200 structures, killed 102 people, and left thousands displaced, a backdrop that officials say makes consistent case management and housing support non-negotiable, per ABC News. Local advocates say county control could speed up some decisions and cut a bit of red tape, but they also warn that the real measure of success will be whether housing pipelines and rebuilding timelines ultimately turn into permanent homes for the families who lost almost everything.
