As Maui mourns the death of more than 100 people and the loss of decades of history to wildfires, residents are also dealing with a housing crisis.
The fires destroyed more than 2,000 structures. About 1,500 were residential, worsening a housing shortage that’s been years in the making.
Hawaii is one of the most expensive places in America to live. Prices for a starter home in many places started at around one million dollars. People in Lahaina struggled to buy property even before the deadly blaze.
And there’s growing concern that a land grab from developers could price even more residents out. We hear from Sterling Higa, executive director of Housing Hawai’is Future.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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