Climate disasters are an affordable housing problem
U.S. policymakers need to think about affordable housing as part of their resiliency strategies. The next Lahaina could be a hurricane in the Gulf Coast, a storm in the Northeast or a massive wildfire in California. Having a healthy stock of protected and affordable housing should be part of our cities’ climate emergency plans.
Hawaiʻi sees first school meal reimbursement rate increase in 40 years
A long awaited boost to federal child nutrition program funds announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in February, is now flowing into the state.
Bill aims to keep more kupuna eligible for SNAP benefits
Seniors whose eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits has been lost or reduced by a recent increase in Social Security benefits could see relief through a bill introduced by Hawaii U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda last week.
USDA raises meal reimbursement rate for Hawaiʻi’s kids
While the new rate is still less than half of what advocates wanted, it’s been met with praise in Hawaiʻi.
State gets more funding for school lunches
Funding will go toward providing healthy meals at Hawaiʻi schools, child care, after-school and summer programs where more than 100,000 children will benefit.
Rising prices, increasing poverty, slowing job growth: Hawaiʻi’s economy faces grim times
Among those facing higher costs are Oʻahu utility customers whose October bills could show more cost increases on top of a dramatic rise over the past year.
‘People are really struggling:’ Hawaiʻi food banks scramble to meet increased demand
Rising food costs and the end of pandemic-era assistance programs are driving a spike in demand for food assistance.
It’s gotten both worse and better for struggling working families
The good news is that 17 Hawaiʻi nonprofits are helping working families become more financially stable, find affordable housing, and get involved in policy.
Tap more child nutrition, school-lunch subsidies for isle keiki
The “Feed Our Keiki” report finds that the federal school meal reimbursement rates for Hawaiʻi currently should be 62% higher than other states, but it has been stuck at only 17% higher since 1979.
Hawaiʻi missed out on $200M in federal funding for school meal programs, report says
The Hawaiʻi Appleseed study found that federal programs meant to reimburse organizations that feed Hawaii’s children have not taken into account more than 40 years of increases in local food costs.
Hawaiʻi’s federal child nutrition funding is outdated and insufficient, report finds
Federal reimbursement rates for child nutrition programs in Hawaiʻi do not currently reflect the high cost of living, a new report found.
A pandemic program that fed schoolchildren last summer is now in jeopardy
The USDA is in the middle of examining its reimbursement rates for school meals in Hawaiʻi, but its findings aren’t expected to be released for a few more years.
Report: Federal funding flaw shortchanges Hawaiʻi’s school nutrition programs
The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education is paying tens of millions of dollars to feed Hawaiʻi school children due to a flaw in the funding method used by the federal government, according to a report.
Hawaiʻi’s keiki nutrition programs facing financial crisis
The state is missing out on tens of millions of federal dollars each year to provide meals for needy children.
Report: Hawaiʻi missed out on $200 million in federal funding to feed children since 2000
This discrepancy stems from a federal analysis that hasn’t been updated since 1979, according to the report.
Working class tax credit still alive
After taking a long, winding path through the Legislature, a bill making the Earned Income Tax Credit permanent and refundable has made it through both the House and the Senate, though disagreements over amendments mean that the bill will now go before a conference committee.
Editorial: Hope on horizon for more housing
Might this be the year that Hawaiʻi truly moves forward in providing affordable housing to its residents? With as much as $1 billion in overall funding for housing under discussion as the state legislature reaches its home stretch, it’s possible.
Hawaiʻi kids could lose access to free meals at school with end of federal funding
Public school students have been eligible for free breakfast and lunch during the pandemic through a program that is set to expire in June.
Biden’s spending bill could be a ‘game changer’ for housing in Hawaiʻi
The Build Back Better bill that the U.S. Senate is debating has the potential to make a huge dent in Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing needs, according to advocates.
How the ‘Build Back Better’ plan saves money and lives
The answer lies in an expansion of the strategy that held the line against poverty in 2020 and that helped America out of the Great Depression.