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Council hears staffing, code and licensing barriers to opening adult residential care homes
Summary
Office of Health Care Assurance staff told the Council on Aging Maui needs roughly 50–75 adult residential care homes and Molokai/Lana‘i need 5–10 each; speakers highlighted building code and financial barriers and directed staff to draft a communication on the issues.
Justin Lam, Section Supervisor with the Office of Health Care Assurance, presented options and barriers for long-term care on Maui and neighboring islands, telling the Council that licensure is required only when facilities provide 24/7 care of unrelated individuals for a fee.
Lam estimated that Maui needs 50–75 adult residential care homes, with Molokai and Lana‘i each needing about 5–10 as a starting point. Council members raised two principal barriers: small facilities often do not meet current building and accessibility codes, and larger facilities face questions of financial feasibility.
Member Deldrine Manera pressed for clarity on Molokai’s needs and urged county planning flexibility and potential subsidies to help families bring homes up to code. Member John Tomoso recommended sending official communication about the barriers; by general consent Chair Ed Romson directed staff to draft such a communication and County Executive Rowena Dagdag-Andaya agreed to research the matter and provide a letter at the next meeting.
Member Heather Ruth-Durham noted the existence of a 10‑bed hospital facility not reflected in the presentation and suggested that while safety requirements are important—especially after the Maui fires—there may be room for flexibility in how they are applied.
