VA helps Veteran recover from Maui wildfire

For more than 80 years, VA has stood beside Veterans and service members through life’s defining moments, including times of profound loss. For one Native Hawaiian Veteran, VA’s Native American Direct Loan (NADL) program helped turn devastation into recovery.  

On Aug. 8, 2023, a wildfire swept through the historic seaside community of Lahaina, Maui. Believed to have been sparked by a downed power line, the fire destroyed homes, consumed neighborhoods and changed lives forever. Among those affected were Native Hawaiian Veteran Ruben and his wife, Sue, whose VA-financed home sat directly in the path of the fast-moving blaze. 

Their daughter and grandchildren were inside the home as the wildfire approached. With power and internet down, communication was nearly impossible. Through a friend, Ruben relayed a simple message: Take the children and pets and leave everything else behind.  

“Ordinarily, our daughter would not have had a car, but I left my car at home that day and drove Sue to the airport so she could catch a flight,” Ruben said. As the flames closed in, she escaped with the children, two dogs and a cat. Tragically, not all their neighbors or their pets survived. 

When Ruben later returned in a hazmat suit, hoping to salvage keepsakes, he found only ashes. 

After months of staying with family and nearly two years in a rental home, they were ready to rebuild. As a Navy Veteran, Ruben knew he could use his VA home loan benefit. He learned that, as a Native Hawaiian, he qualified for VA’s NADL program. Through that program, Ruben and Sue were approved for a new home in a developing community, marking a turning point in their recovery. 
 
Both Sue and Ruben grow emotional when reflecting on what could have happened that day. “After the fire, we realized that things don’t mean anything,” Ruben said. “Having this new home allows us to spend time with what does matter—our family and friends.”  

Established through Public Law 102-547, the NADL program was designed to address long-standing barriers that Native communities have faced in obtaining mortgages on federal trust lands. Eligibility extends to Veterans and service members who are Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Alaska Natives and those who belong to certain Pacific Islander communities, including American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.  

The program offers several advantages designed to make homeownership more accessible, including low interest rates, no down payment requirement and no private mortgage insurance, among others.

Sue encourages other eligible Native American Veterans and service members to explore the NADL program. “It saved us money, and we could afford to replace the furniture we lost,” she said. 

Native American Veterans aren’t limited to NADL, though: those purchasing homes on fee-simple land—property owned outright outside federal trust lands—can still use a traditional VA-guaranteed home loan, ensuring flexibility based on individual needs. 

VA housing benefits are about more than mortgages, they’re about resilience, recovery and the chance to rebuild after loss. Through programs like the Native American Direct Loan, VA helps ensure that Veterans and their families have a place to call home, no matter what challenges arise. 

VA is committed to working with tribal communities across the country to expand the NADL program. You can learn more about the NADL program online. VA also created a video guide to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) process that can be accessed on the VA Loan Guaranty Training Website under ‘Available Training – Native American Direct Loans.’