[Letourneau] Former Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson has spent much of the past week on the phone, working to give his short-term Maui rentals to people who lost their houses in the nation’s deadliest wildfires in more than a century. Nelson has leased his properties for free to anyone in need

[Source](https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/former-nba-coach-don-nelson-opens-hawaii-homes-18295447.php)

 

> Former Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson has spent much of the past week on the phone, working to give his short-term Maui rentals to people who lost their houses in the nation’s deadliest wildfires in more than a century.
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> “We’re doing the best we can, but we only have space for about 24 people,” Nelson said in a phone interview Monday. “There are thousands of people homeless right now. It’s overwhelming.”
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> In 2011, shortly after settling in West Maui full-time following a Hall of Fame coaching career, Nelson started to invest in local real estate. What started as a side gig has blossomed into a thriving rental company. Desperate to help evacuees from the recent wildfires that devastated Lahaina and other nearby communities, Nelson, 83, has leased his properties for free to anyone in need.
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> Helping provides Nelson some peace. None of his properties, including the family home he bought 24 miles south of Lahaina almost 30 years ago, were damaged in the wildfires.
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> But even though Nelson didn’t lose a house or loved one in a natural disaster that as of Monday afternoon had killed almost 100 people and destroyed more than 2,200 structures, he feels a profound grief. Maui is his chosen home.
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> With the government struggling to meet evacuees’ needs, local volunteers have mobilized in droves. Nelson’s daughter, Lee Anderson, converted the Kihei wedding venue she runs into a distribution center for essential goods. Joy has spent much of her time there, handing out meals to the homeless, stacking Amazon packages and calling nearby shelters.
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> Whenever a spot comes open at one of the family’s rental properties, the Nelsons fill it quickly. Chris Fontian, one of Nelson’s daughters who was visiting from Chicago when the fires started, has helped clean the rental units for new guests. When someone needs a ride, Don and Joy try to drive them — even if gasoline can be hard to find in certain parts of Maui these days.
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> “I’m not going anywhere,” Nelson said. “This is home. Right now, it needs all our help.”
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by NokCha_