As the Mennonite Disaster Service family prays for and reaches out with care to fire survivors in Los Angeles, MDS volunteers are also helping fire survivors in Maui, Hawaii, by building safe housing and bringing a spirit of ohana, or extended family.

A 2023 wildfire destroyed 1,355 homes on the island, of which 627 were owner-occupied.

“It is not unusual for MDS to build for families whose homes were destroyed in a disaster, but seldom has MDS built for an ohana as large as the one that will inhabit Ohana Hope Village in Kahalui, Maui,” said Don Rheinheimer, MDS project coordinator. “Ohana Hope Village is an unfolding dream of King’s Cathedral, a large church, and its affiliated social action organization Family Life Center to create long-term interim housing for fire survivors.”

On an island where housing was already at a premium, finding space for displaced people has been a challenge.

“As one response to the housing shortage, the Family Life Center put their dream into motion on 10 acres owned by the church and, using private funding and grants, set out to create an ‘off-grid’ community of 16 pods, each containing five to six living units around one community center,” Rheinheimer said. “The community center is fashioned from two parallel shipping containers with a kitchen in one unit and a laundry and power station in the other.”

The containers are bridged with a truss roof covering a common dining and gathering area. Each unit has an attached covered lanai (porch) entering into an adjoining kitchenette and full bathroom.

“The living unit and attached building are heated and cooled with a mini-split heat pump,” Rheinheimer said. “Each unit has its own solar power.”

MDS volunteers currently occupy one community center and four units. Prior to their arrival, progress was limited to availability of Family Life Center employees, some subcontractors and occasional volunteers.

With their steady presence, MDS volunteers have built a strong working relationship with local tradespeople and Family Life Center leaders.

“With a two-week cycle of volunteers and a breadth of skills and willingness, MDS volunteers are offering a consistent presence to work systematically through the repetitive range of tasks for each unit and pod: insulation, drywall, flooring, plumbing, mounting solar panels, pavers for walkways, cleaning units, assembling furniture and other tasks,” Rheinheimer said.

The homes are considered ­“interim” because they will be moved when their emergency zoning permit expires and permanent housing is rebuilt in Lahaina, a long-term project in which MDS also hopes to be involved.