PHOCUSED joins forces with Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center

Last week, the advocacy group PHOCUSED (Protecting Hawaiʻi’s ʻOhana, Children, Under-Served, Elderly, and Disabled) joined forces with Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice to support and strengthen local communities.

PHOCUSED is now a project of Hawaiʻi Appleseed, bringing a coalition of social service providers and the populations they serve to inform Hawaiʻi Appleseed’s public policy advocacy work. Together, the organizations will jointly pursue policy changes that benefit Hawaiʻi’s most vulnerable populations.

“When half the families in our state are struggling to get by, it’s clear that Hawaiʻi’s problems are systemic,” said Gavin Thornton, executive director for Hawaiʻi Appleseed. “These systems are difficult to change, and to do so requires a range of tools and strategies, as well as a broad network of support. We need thoughtfully crafted data- and research-driven policy choices that are informed and embraced by the communities these policies will impact. By making PHOCUSED a part of Hawaiʻi Appleseed, we are integrating our “grasstops” tools with PHOCUSED’s grassroots connections to better achieve the positive changes Hawaiʻi’s residents need.”