OHA seeks housing strategy consultant to advance Mana i Mauli Ola goals
These efforts come at a time when small policy wins at the state level are offering renewed hope but require coordinated implementation to benefit Native Hawaiian communities equitably.
Economic prosperity rises from the bottom up
The Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice looks at the recent legislative session's hits and misses in this Community Voice column for Aloha State Daily.
Proposed cuts to food stamps program could be ‘horrific’ in Hawaiʻi
Under current proposals, Hawaiʻi could face more than $100 million in new costs to maintain the food stamp program.
Honolulu can fine Airbnb, Vrbo for illegal vacation rentals. It never has
Like other tourist destinations, Honolulu passed a law to hold booking platforms accountable for illegal listings. But the city hasn’t cited any company, even as illegal rentals flourish.
Hawaiʻi Appleseed has a new executive director
Will White aims to build from the organization’s solid foundation to advance its mission of advocating for economic justice for Hawaiʻi's people.
State passes a bill to expand free school meal access
The bill, SB1300, will go into effect with the upcoming 2025-26 school year and will cover students whose family income is not more than 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
State fund eyed for workforce housing subsidies
House Bill 432 would allow part of the state’s rental housing revolving fund to go toward financing development of apartments for households earning between 60–140 percent of a county’s annual median income.
Raise sales tax on costly homes, build more rentals
When hard-working locals—from teachers and nurses to waitresses—are struggling to stay housed, it means we have a serious problem.
Hawaiʻi wants to purchase voluntary deed restrictions to preserve more homes for locals
This new approach would help buffer Hawaiʻi homes from speculation and encourage more locals to actively contribute to addressing the Islands’ housing challenges.
New policy brief proposes targeted tax relief for struggling Hawaiʻi families
As local families continue to leave Hawaiʻi due to the high cost of living, Hawaiʻi Appleseed stresses the urgency for additional legislative action to help those at risk of homelessness.
No income tax for working class? Unions float radical proposal
A better approach would be to expand an existing state tax credit that was created to offset some of the impact of the excise tax on food, or to create a new child tax credit to support working families.
Keiki Caucus introduces 2025 legislative package
Legislators and advocates identified five top priority issues impacting Hawaiʻi’s youth and families, including tax credits for household and dependent care services, funding for community schools, paid family leave, e-cigarette regulations, and universal free school breakfast and lunches.
Hawaiʻi is over-dependent on cars. Can the state spend more on alternative transportation?
Between 2019-2024, the Hawaiʻi DOT spent almost two-thirds of its capital improvement budget on projects that increase vehicle transportation, a pattern of spending that leads to more traffic, higher emissions, and fewer options for people who don’t drive.
Hawaiʻi County Council could join call for free school meals statewide
A resolution introduced by the council said that Hawaiʻi Island has the highest rate of food insecurity in the state, but the issue is statewide.
Is Hawaiʻi’s historic investment in affordable housing paying off?
Two years ago, the state made a record investment in affordable rental housing. Results so far are both encouraging and sobering.
How Hawaiʻi could prepare for financial impacts of second Trump term
Working families in Hawaiʻi could end up paying more in taxes if President-elect Donald Trump implements some of his proposed policies, but analysts say there’s a way the state can help.
Hunting for a new place in renters purgatory
How four O‘ahu residents navigate fees, scams, unanswered calls, intrusive rules and housing options that run from “crappy and crappier.”
UHERO offers ‘uncertainties’ over Council’s proposed empty-homes tax
The University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization offered more insights over the potential ramifications of an implemented empty homes tax on Oʻahu.
Honolulu City Council bill aimed at taxing empty homes advances
The Honolulu City Council Budget committee narrowly advanced a measure that would tax properties left vacant by up to 3 percent.
Honolulu City Council’s empty-homes tax measure advances
The Honolulu City Council’s Budget Committee voted 3–2 to advance Bill 46, which could tax a vacant real property by as much as 3 percent.