evidence: The flames of the Maui fires have engulfed a community in grief, displacing thousands of locals, burning down more than 2,500 acres, destroying artifacts and museums in historic towns, and taking down the homes of hundreds more since early August. [...] While much of the world recognizes Hawaii as a lush paradise, the Aloha state has the fifth highest rate of homelessness when compared to all other U.S. states, territories, and Washington, D.C. At the center of the issue lies a complicated relationship with tourism—which fuels but can also harm the state—and rising living and housing costs. While shelters were already working to help house families and individuals with unstable living conditions, the Maui fires have further exacerbated the issue, leaving thousands more unhoused and further tightening the already limited housing supply in Maui. [...] The fires have also impacted families that had recently found housing through the Family Life Center. Kelly tells TIME that the day after the fires, at least five leases for families who were going to be placed into permanent housing were revoked. In the following days, the center also started getting calls from former patrons who told Kelly they were being evicted after recently being placed into homes.