What made the 2022 Hawaiʻi legislative session a win for working families?
After multiple years with little progress on policy to help working families survive Hawaiʻi’s highest-in-the-nation cost of living, several factors came together to deliver a banner year in 2022.
Put more money in working people’s pockets and reduce housing costs
This legislative session, Hawaiʻi Appleseed is pushing hard to implement a significant minimum wage increase, expand successful tax credits for low-income families, and lay the groundwork for housing policy that will mean no one in Hawaiʻi is left unsheltered because of poverty.
Hawaiʻi’s crowded households could make safely reopening schools harder
With the highest portion of multigenerational and crowded households in the nation, how should our state policy on reopening schools differ?
P-EBT: Pandemic benefits for Hawaiʻi families to buy food
There’s a valuable new benefit available for Hawaiʻi families with children who are struggling to buy food. It’s called Pandemic-EBT, or P-EBT.
Who are Hawaiʻi’s frontline workers?
The pandemic has shown us how crucial frontline industry workers are to Hawaiʻi’s economy. Sadly, many of these workers are underpaid and under-protected.
Too many Hawaiʻi seniors are still going hungry
Although Hawaiʻi has made strides to address hunger in recent years, thousands of seniors are still at risk of experiencing hunger across the islands.
Protecting SNAP benefits for Hawaiʻi’s working families and seniors
The Trump Administration is floating a proposed rule change that would take away food assistance benefits from struggling families.
50 years in the fight for equal justice
Victor Geminiani, founding director of Hawaiʻi Appleseed and career advocate for low-income and underserved communities, will retire on August 31, 2019.
Redefining poverty would throw millions off critical social support programs
A Trump Administration rule change would force millions of Americans off critical programs that help women, children and families meet their basic needs.
Official poverty data obscures the reality faced by many Hawaiʻi residents
If you hear Hawaiʻi has one of the lowest official poverty rates in the nation, remember that doesn’t take into account our highest-in-the-nation cost of living.
Coming soon: The Hawaiʻi Budget and Policy Center
Hawaiʻi Appleseed is creating a new think tank focused on research and analysis of state budget and tax policy—the Hawaiʻi Budget & Policy Center (HBPC).
Lahaina low-income housing at risk of losing its affordability
Over the past several months, Hawaiʻi Appleseed has been working with the tenants of Front Street Apartments, a 142-unit complex in Lahaina that houses 300 low-income residents, to preserve the development’s affordability.
Report emphasizes need for Hawaiʻi working family tax credit
Report highlights the financial situation of Hawaiʻi residents and their opinion of tax credits that would let low-income workers keep more of what they earn.