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.
A tax on vacant units could provide housing crisis relief, if done right
Besides funding sources, taxes can be an excellent way of shifting behaviors; but getting rates and exemptions right is key to success.
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.
How high is too high? We actually know a lot about minimum wage increases
Raising the minimum wage would boost not just the pay of many struggling Hawaiʻi workers and their families; it would also boost the local economy.
Appleseed announces 2019 policy agenda
After months of research spent examining these critical issues, this agenda prioritizes efforts for maximum benefit to the community at-large.
Farm bill protects SNAP, other critical nutrition programs
The bill includes provisions that invest in our island’s rural communities, provide funding for farmers and advance sustainable community food systems.
Incomes in Hawaiʻi are not as high as you’ve heard: Here’s why
Over the years, the media has often reported that Hawaiʻi incomes are among the highest in the nation. If that doesn’t sound quite right to you, trust your gut.
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).
ADU demo draws hundreds of visitors
The 10th-annual Build-a-Thon included a model accessory dwelling unit (ADU), a small dwelling that can be built on single-family properties.
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.
Hawaiʻi bill will create historic new working families tax credit
Rep. Scott Saiki called passage of the bill the “most consequential work in the last few years to reduce poverty and Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living.”
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.