Hawaiʻi’s job losses are increasing economic inequity
Because of the way Hawaiʻi’s economy is structured, those who were already struggling to earn enough before COVID-19 are also the most likely to lose a job.
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.
Community sites expand free meals for keiki through the summer
With several new sponsors and sites now on board, the community sites are now serving well over 5,500 children and youth per day.
Allocating $100 million in CARES Act relief to housing support is good state policy
To help more than 100,000 Hawaiʻi residents stay in their homes, $100 million in CARES Act housing support is money well spent.
Setting the stage for a crucial June special session
CARES Act funds must be spent by the end of December, and careful decisions need to be made to address critical needs in our community.
High levels of consumer debt add to Hawaiʻi household financial struggles
Hawaiʻi’s high debt load is usually invisible, but that may change soon as households become unable to carry this burden in the COVID-19 economy.
Disaggregating data helps replace racist policies with anti-racist ones
One often overlooked way in which racism manifests itself in our policies is through our use of data. Disaggregating data can help end racist policies.
Housing, our best capital investment, is only 4 percent of state’s spending plan
Let’s invest wisely in Hawaiʻi’s capital needs. Housing is one of the best investments we can make, and every family deserves to have a home they can afford.
Hawaiʻi’s household income loss is the highest in the nation
6 in 10 Hawaiʻi adults now live in a household in which at least one person has lost income
Here’s how the CARES Act funding will be spent in Hawaiʻi
Most of the $1.8 billion in grants are awarded to the state, but some goes to the counties, nonprofit organizations, and individual healthcare providers as well.
Eight progressive options to close Hawaiʻi’s billion dollar budget gap
Hawaiʻi lawmakers should use all available progressive options to close the state’s budget deficit without slashing critical government spending.
Hawaiʻi’s dependence on tourism explains our dramatic unemployment rate
The visitor industry, which accounts for a third of all jobs in Hawaiʻi, is heavily interconnected with global markets and susceptible to economic shock events like the outbreak of a global pandemic.
Community partnership doubles free keiki meal capacity
Nine new sites will open at Kamaʻāina Kids preschool locations in Honolulu, Kāneʻohe, Kailua, ʻEwa and Mililani on Oʻahu, as well as in Kahului on Maui.
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.
Avoid public sector cuts at all costs during a recession
as one engine of the economy—the private sector—slows down, it becomes necessary to increase government spending to power the second engine and keep the economy aloft.
Infrastructure projects put people to work today for a better tomorrow
The return on investment for infrastructure spending is always high. However, during economic downturns the economic benefits are magnified.
Stimulus strategies: which policies can best kickstart the economy
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaiʻi can learn a lot from evaluating various initiatives the federal government used to pull the United States out of the Great Recession.
Keeping families afloat will keep our economy alive
Hawaiʻi is stronger when we invest in our people so they can better contribute to our economy and community.
Using Hawaiʻi emergency funds to weather COVID-19
Now is the time to use Hawaiʻi’s emergency funds to stabilize the economy and the working families that power it.
COVID-19: what policymakers can do now to buoy Hawaiʻi’s economy
By learning the lessons for the Great Recession, policymakers can save both lives and economies in communities across the state.