HONOLULU – If you are a survivor of the Aug. 8 Maui wildfires and you received FEMA rental assistance, make sure you stay in touch with FEMA. You may be eligible for continued rental assistance for temporary housing in any U.S.-governed location.
FEMA pays rent for temporary housing to help you get back on your feet and have one less bill to worry about. Rent includes a security deposit for any temporary housing other than your fire-damaged residence. The initial FEMA grant covers your rent for the first two months. When that runs out, you can ask FEMA for more assistance.
You may be able to receive FEMA rental assistance for three-month periods – up to a maximum of 18 months from the president’s major disaster declaration, or Feb. 10, 2024. Just reach out to FEMA regularly and let the specialists know you still need rental assistance for your temporary housing.
To get started, just follow a few simple steps:
- Contact FEMA and ask for an Application for Continued Temporary Housing Assistance.
- Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use a relay service such as video relay service, captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service when you apply. Helpline operators can arrange interpretation in many languages.
- You may also receive in-person help from FEMA specialists at any Disaster Recovery Center. Find the one nearest you at fema.gov/DRC.
- Once you’ve completed the form, you may drop it off at any Disaster Recovery Center or mail it to FEMA, P.O. Box 10055, Hyattsville MD 20782-8055. You can also fax it to 800-827-8112 or upload it to your disaster account at DisasterAssistance.gov.
Remember, rental help is available if you update FEMA with your current contact information and housing status.
If you have not yet applied for FEMA disaster assistance, it’s not too late. You have until 11:59 p.m. (Hawaiʻi time) Thursday, Nov. 9, to apply. Visit DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA mobile app or call the FEMA Helpline.
For the latest information on the Maui wildfire recovery efforts, visit mauicounty.gov, mauirecovers.org and fema.gov/disaster/4724. Follow FEMA on social media: @FEMARegion9 and facebook.com/fema. You may also get disaster assistance information and download applications at sba.gov/hawaii-wildfires.