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.

Critics hoped the pandemic would be the catalyst for significant changes to address longterm problems facing Hawaiʻi. But the budget shortfall dominated the 2021 session.

The pandemic wouldn’t have hurt nearly as much if Hawaiʻi residents were making wages that paid enough to cover their basic needs.

Minimum wage earners should not be paying a higher percentage in taxes than those at the top.

And Hawaiʻi’s lawmakers should pass legislation that supports workers’ well-being.

The cost of living in Hawaiʻi continues to rise, most notably due to the lack of affordable housing. How do we find a feasible solution?

Senators moved to raise income taxes on high earners, and the House passed capital gains and inheritance tax increases.

The organizations highlighted how state and local budgets have been slashed, causing job losses in critical sectors like education and healthcare that will be central to addressing the public health crisis.

“Our work is to bring all these different sectors together and create lasting solutions and changes.”

To address socioeconomic inequality, Hawaiʻi’s decision-makers need to come up with an effective problem-solving process so stakeholders can come together to achieve concrete solutions.

The program, which is now in its eighth year, seeks to cultivate Hawaiʻi’s growth by equipping local leaders with the skills and relationships necessary to collectively affect societal change.

Uplift Hawaiʻi describes itself as an economic recovery platform bringing together organizations, individuals, coalitions and other COVID-19 recovery initiatives.

Researchers analyzed rent prices in all 50 states to determine how much was needed to rent a two-bedroom apartment at fair market value without spending more than 30 percent of one’s income.

Hawaiʻi’s 2020 legislative session was hallmarked by social distancing measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 that may also have disenfranchised the public.

Together, we can bring about a more equitable and resilient future that honors the people, land, culture, and values of Hawaiʻi.

The allocations of the federal aid money drew criticism from social service agencies while the process of adopting the budget measure, using a method called gut-and-replace, riled others.

The Working Families Coalition released a plan to distribute $362 million including CARES Act funds to help families with rent, food, healthcare and more.

The statistics about how many of Hawaiʻi’s people struggle look worse with each passing year, so plainly the safety net needs reinforcement.

The least wealthy income earners in Hawaiʻi pay the second most in taxes of any state in the union, according to an analysis of tax systems across the country.

Numbers don’t lie, but they sometimes tell tall tales. And often, they leave a lot of people scratching their heads, wondering why the data don’t seem to reflect the same reality they see.