Ka Hale A Ke Ola Resource Center in Maui is looking to rebuild after wildfires tore through Lahaina.
She explained that when the fires broke out on August 8, she and her staff witnessed the fires creep closer and closer to the shelter for six hours. By 3 p.m. that day, they heard explosions from nearby cars blowing up from the heat of the flames.
“We knocked on the doors for people and then once they saw us evacuating people, everybody else that lived there jumped in,” Medeiros said. “We left the property just as the flames were touching our property. And as we drove off all I could see was a wall of flames.”Once they evacuated, Ka Hale A Ke Ola staff were able to move their residents to other units at the agency’s sister facility, located 20 miles away.
The shelter has been a safe haven for many for 30 years. Staff at Ka Hale A Ke Ola has also worked over the years to break the cycle of homelessness on the island of Maui through many of the agency’s programs and services, which include helping those who need assistance with navigating housing, providing educational classes on budgeting and finances, as well as employment.
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