Kaluaʻehu

Today, Lahaina stands at an inflection point. This is an invitation for the community to become a Kaluaʻehu partner. Together, we can transform our Lahaina economy into a regenerative force to help our community thrive — now and forever.

Are You A…

In the fires’ aftermath, this place and her people need help to recover, rebuild and regenerate in a way that will ensure our future is as beautiful, if not more, than our past. 

Regardless of your relationship with this place, it’s going to take all of us working together to heal the Lahaina that we love.

The Challenges

we face Today

  • West Maui has the most expensive housing on island, and more than half of the new homes built here since 2010 aren’t actually housing local families.

  • $2.68M: Lahaina median single-family home in 2024

  • $813K: Lahaina median vacant land price in 2024

  • Based on our math, a Maui worker earning $87,300 each year – 100% of the Area Median Income (AMI) – can comfortably afford a $379,000 house. There were zero sold in that price range in 2024.

Help us change the tides in Lahaina

Become our partner. This is an opportunity to trailblaze, as we work together to define the future of a circular economy to ensure that prosperity flows back into the community.

We don’t have to wait on anyone else to solve our housing crisis. We can create the solution – together.

Kaluaʻehu Moʻolelo

Kaluaʻehu was first noted in Lahaina's history as the spawning pond of Mokuhinia. It was the sanctuary for minnow, a place of protection from the larger fish used to feed Lahaina’s people.

Years later, the name Kalua'ehu resurfaced again: This time, as the name of Lahaina’s very first school — a place to nurture the keiki.

But by the early 1900s, Loko o Mokuhinia was buried – and with it, the story of Lahaina.

Together we can build a new sanctuary for our people, a protected place to nurture the future generations of Lahaina.

Mahalo to the Community Land Trusts Across the Continent that have
Paved the way for us

Hō'ahu Kau'ai - Kīpuka Kuleana

Shuumi Land Tax - The Sogorea Te Land Trust

Kuuy Nahwá’a - Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy

Real Rent Duwamish - Duwamish Solidarity Group

Appalachian Rekindling Project - Appalachian Community Fund

Honor Native Land Fund - The Red Nation and Pueblo Action Alliance, Albuquerque

Wiyot Honor Tax - Seventh Generation for Indian Dev. Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt

Wolankeyutomone kisi apaciyewik - Wabaki Commission on Land and Stewardship

Mni Šota Makoče - Lower Sioux Indian Community

Manhattan Fund - American Indian Community House

Oʻga Pʻogeh Land Tax - Three Sisters Collective

Miami Nation Honor Fund - Miami Nation

Hō'ahu Kau'ai - Kīpuka Kuleana • Shuumi Land Tax - The Sogorea Te Land Trust • Kuuy Nahwá’a - Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy • Real Rent Duwamish - Duwamish Solidarity Group • Appalachian Rekindling Project - Appalachian Community Fund • Honor Native Land Fund - The Red Nation and Pueblo Action Alliance, Albuquerque • Wiyot Honor Tax - Seventh Generation for Indian Dev. Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt • Wolankeyutomone kisi apaciyewik - Wabaki Commission on Land and Stewardship • Mni Šota Makoče - Lower Sioux Indian Community • Manhattan Fund - American Indian Community House • Oʻga Pʻogeh Land Tax - Three Sisters Collective • Miami Nation Honor Fund - Miami Nation

FAQ

  • Thanks to the support of generous funders who have covered LCLT’s day-to-day operating expenses through 2026, every single dollar raised through Kalua‘ehu will go toward our programs that provide grants to homeowners to help them rebuild and create permanently affordable homes on LCLT land.

  • A term agreement will be customized to each unique partnership. Outside of these agreements in which partners select contribution timelines of their choosing, we offer our marketing support in any digital or print collateral on a needs basis. Each partner may also choose to opt in/out of being listed as a partner on this web page.

  • Unfortunately, we aren’t the ones deciding how our tax dollars get spent — and whether the money generated from West Maui’s tourism businesses plays a direct role in helping Lahaina families rebuild. For example, in the year after the fire, the State of Hawaiʻi spent $357 million on hotels for fire survivors and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) spent another $295 million to temporarily rent homes and condominiums. Said differently, that’s enough money to buy (or rebuild) 650 $1 million homes – more than 80% of the approximately 800 owner-occupied homes lost in Lahaina.

    Similarly, even though Maui generates millions of dollars in revenue through hotel room and sales taxes, there’s no guarantee that those dollars will go toward projects the Lahaina community needs either. As of late 2024, for instance, the state estimated there was a nearly$300 million gap in residential losses after the fire that weren’t covered by insurers.

    In contrast, every single dollar that goes toward this collective partnership through Kalua‘ehu will go toward filling financial gaps to allow families to rebuild and keeping Lahaina lands in Lahaina hands.

  • All donors will receive a tax-deductible receipt for tax reporting purposes. We advise you to consult with your tax advisor on any further questions you may have seeing as each business may be structured differently.

  • Although it’s still under legal review, our weighted lottery system will give preference to: ​

    • Lahaina residents displaced by the fire​

    • Folks who grew up in Lahaina​

    • Native Hawaiian and multi-generational kamaʻāina to Lahaina

    LCLT will partner with sellers on buy-back clauses to ensure that families can return to their land once a home is built or children/grandchildren have first right of refusal.

  • Our Keep Lahaina Home Insurance Gap Program is made possible by a powerful partnership that helps us support families who need financial assistance to rebuild. While LCLT provides funding and stewards long-term protections on homes that are rebuilt, nonprofit mortgage lender Hawai‘i Community Lending (HCL) vets and qualifies all applicants for the program and helps homeowners better understand their financial positions. The Hoʻōla iā Mauiakama Disaster Long Term Recovery Group (Hoʻōla LTRG), meanwhile, works in collaboration with LCLT and HCL to help homeowners navigate the permitting and rebuilding process by coordinating resources, including grant funding, material sourcing and in-kind labor.