Why does Hawaiʻi have a GET?
The General Excise Tax. We all know it, we all complain about it, especially the way it stacks up in transaction after transaction, raising prices. But there was a time when it didn't exist at all. Here's a look at who created it, when, and, most importantly, why.
More Hawaiʻi residents are going hungry, new statewide report shows
The report was produced at a time when food security was bad in Hawaiʻi. But now, advocates say, it’s even worse.
New federal rules ramp up the pressure on people who count on food stamps
Thousands of people in Hawaiʻi will be cut from the program entirely or face additional hurdles, including added work requirements.
Mom-and-pop stores losing EBT customers struggle to survive
It’s not only making it harder for families to put food on their tables. It’s also affecting people’s livelihoods.
Four Hawaiʻi nonprofits receive investments as SNAP cuts loom
More than 13,000 people in Hawaiʻi could lose some or all of their benefits each month once expanded work requirements are implemented.
Honolulu’s early eviction mediation and rental assistance program’s success
The next step is for more opportunities to uplift the statewide efforts advancing housing stability through early intervention and cross-sector collaboration.
Bill 53 would increase Oʻahu housing costs
Reinstating parking mandates for developers in Honolulu means choosing cars over people and asphalt over affordability.
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.
Food insecurity forum focuses on current and future needs in Hawaiʻi
Keeping struggling individuals properly fed is already considered a growing challenge, locally, even as the threat of federal funding cuts leave an uncertain future for SNAP and, consequently, food banks as well.
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.
Trump's actions prompt surge in public forums as worries about cutbacks climb
Hawaiʻi’s elected leaders are using town halls to help people understand what’s happening and what they are doing about it.
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 set to offer nutrition support services to Medicaid patients
Medicaid patients may soon benefit from a five-year federal waiver that allows Hawaiʻi MedQUEST program to use Medicaid dollars to expand services with community-based food and nutrition organizations.
Tenants facing eviction hope state will convert Kauaʻi’s Waipouli apartments to affordable housing
Affordable housing advocates are pressuring the State of Hawai‘i to purchase the apartment building and transform all 82 units into affordable housing.
In Hawaiʻi’s housing crunch, tenants are vulnerable to rent hikes and evictions
Advocates say the code lacks key policies needed in Hawaiʻi’s tight housing market, such as longer notice periods before someone can be evicted, caps on yearly rent increases and limits on the reasons landlords can evict tenants.
State funds for late rent, mediation to be revisited
Key state lawmakers are vowing to revisit a bill that died in the final days of the legislative session that would have required mediation between landlords and tenants before filing for eviction, while providing landlords millions in emergency rent relief.
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.
Hawaiʻi food insecurity persists post COVID-19
Even as Hawaiʻi distances itself from the harshest effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-hunger advocates say that elevated food insecurity among residents has not only persisted but is growing.
VIDEO: Anti-hunger leaders join ‘Spotlight Hawaiʻi’
Hawaiʻi Food Bank CEO Amy Miller Marvin and Daniela Spoto, Hawaiʻi Appleseed’s director of Anti-Hunger Initiatives, joined the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaiʻi.”
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.