Council: Ala Moana developer must answer ‘poor door’ critique
Objections over plans to provide separate entrances for luxury condo owners and the tenants of affordable rentals has delayed approval for an Ala Moana highrise.
Health and human services providers gearing up for legislative session
A $15 an hour minimum wage and an increase in the low income renter’s credit will help struggling families.
Segregation? Tenants in affordable units to get separate entrance
A mixed-use residential high-rise planned for the Ala Moana area is raising some concerns because it has separate entrances for those who purchase market-rate condo units—and those who will live in affordable rentals on the same property.
Hawaiʻi vacation rentals threaten our survival
It’s time local political leaders begin making hard decisions to resolve this growing problem.
Gavin Thornton: Hawaiʻi Appleseed co-director helps the poor, aims to untangle the state budget process
Thornton serves as a co-director of the Honolulu-based nonprofit that advocates on behalf of low-income individuals, families and communities.
Low-income renters fear they’ll be priced out of Lahaina apartments
Some 300 low-income residents at Front Street Apartments effectively face eviction under a loophole that enables the property to be converted to market-priced units after 15 years in service.
Hawaiʻi nonprofit seeks a statewide effort to fight hunger
One in five children in the islands deals with hunger, according to a recent report.
Hawaiʻi schools celebrate farm to school week
From Oct. 2 to 5, students at Kohala public schools will enjoy delicious, fresh cooked meals that will feature local ingredients such as Big Island ground beef, apple bananas, sweet potatoes and pineapple.
Missed deadlines lead the city to lose millions in federal housing funds
Hawaii News Now has learned the city missed deadlines to spend almost $10 million, and the federal government has already taken some of it back.
Revitalizing Mayor Wright Homes could cost $1 billion
The construction timetable and cost estimate are in a draft environmental impact statement published earlier this month by the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.
Nutrition program earns award for Big Isle school
Kona Pacific Public Charter School was the first in the state to offer a universal breakfast program in 2014, with assistance from Hawaiʻi Appleseed.
State agency criticized for plan to lease rental projects
Affordable-housing advocates are decrying a state agency’s move to lease its portfolio of six low-cost rental projects, including three high-rises in Kakaʻako, to a private investor at a time when housing is in extremely short supply for low-income families.
Safety net must be strengthened
Should the ax fall hard, local and state government must be prepared to quickly and efficiently assess need and absorb some of the lost funding.
Nonprofits plan for potentially deep cuts
The Hawaiʻi Community Foundation today will bring together more than 200 island nonprofit organizations to prepare for potentially devastating cuts in federal funding under the Trump administration.
Tenants cash in on vacation rentals despite risks
Tenants who sublease their units as vacation rental properties without the owner’s permission face eviction. Those who break city rules also face penalties starting with an initial fine of $1,000 and up to $1,000 a day for continued violations.
Help for those who are elderly and poor
One in six residents in Hawaiʻi relies on Social Security benefits. But many of the elderly recipients live on the borderline of poverty and homelessness and need public assistance.
The Conversation: Increased enrollment in summer school lunch programs
It is an undeniable fact of being human: hunger never takes a holiday. For kids in summer school, being hungry doesn’t take a vacation either.
Number of Hawaiʻi students eating free summer meals increases
More students in Hawaiʻi took advantage of free summer meals last year, according to a national report released this week.
Women majority of elders in poverty, UH finds
Women being less financially secure in old age stems from lifelong pay and opportunity inequalities between the genders.
Hawaiʻi’s child well-being 17th in latest national rankings
High housing costs remain a significant challenge in our state. When families spend so much of their income on housing, they have fewer resources to meet other basic needs.