Let’s not roll back on Hawaiʻi schools’ healthy lunch strides
We need to stand up to the Trump Administration’s misguided attempts to weaken nutrition standards.
Working families need more relief
The statistics about how many of Hawaiʻi’s people struggle look worse with each passing year, so plainly the safety net needs reinforcement.
A dream deferred: A week after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the war on the poor continues
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to allow the Trump Administration to enforce a rule which makes it harder for poor immigrants to be granted green cards or visas.
More investors could mean increased affordable housing
Housing advocates want to open up the state’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit program to anyone—not just big banks.
Civil Cafe 2020 legislative preview rehashes minimum wage, homelessness
While it is terrific that state legislators acknowledge that the cost of living is out of reach for most Hawaiʻi residents, it is also clear that the proposed $13 an hour is not a “livable wage.”
Name in the news: Daniela Spoto, Hawaiʻi Appleseed’s anti-hunger director
In a just-released report, the nonprofit’s assessment of the problem is illustrated with three pillars: access to resources, health and nutrition, and community resilience.
Advocates rally at the Capitol to demand higher minimum wage
Signs read, “Don’t make me leave Hawaiʻi,” echoing the frustration from advocates for raising the minimum.
Hawaiʻi’s economy will benefit from a higher minimum wage
Opponents can only make disingenuous arguments that rely on irrelevant information.
Hawaiʻi low-income earners could lose aid under proposed federal SNAP rule change
The rule would prevent Hawaiʻi—with its high cost of living—from waiving federal income and asset requirements to qualify for SNAP.
PHOCUSED joins forces with Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center
Together, the organizations will jointly pursue policy changes that benefit Hawai‘i’s most vulnerable populations.
Report questions Hawaiʻi’s low enrollment rate in after school supper program
Tens of thousands of low-income kids in Hawaiʻi are eligible for free after-school suppers, but only 259 students were signed up to get the meals last year.
Hawaiʻi ranks last in afterschool suppers to keiki
Out of the 66,550 keiki who ate free or reduced-price school lunch in Hawaiʻi in 2018, only 259 also had an after school supper.
Corporate citizenship: companies giving back
On Oct. 17, 2019, 5 percent of proceeds from Hawaiʻi’s four Whole Foods Market locations will be donated to expand access to school meals for keiki.
Why Hawaiʻi kids can still be denied school lunches
A 2017 law required schools give students a grace period before withholding meals for those behind in their payments.
Why the growing demand for AC threatens Hawaiʻi’s renewable energy goals
Far more residents now have air conditioning to deal with a warming climate. But their increased electrical use makes the problem worse.
Trump policy could have far-reaching effects on Hawaiʻi’s immigrant population
The public-charge rule has been a lightning rod in the national debate over immigration with critics accusing Trump of pushing racist policies that discriminate against immigrants.
SNAP benefits in jeopardy under Trump proposal
Nearly 16,500 Hawaiʻi residents could lose their SNAP benefits and more under a new rule change proposed by the Trump Administration
The Conversation: Preparing for a slowing economy
Hawaiʻi's leaders ought to be preparing for the next economic recession now, according to Hawaiʻi Budget & Policy Center's Beth Giesting.
Hawaiʻi has one of the lowest poverty rates in the U.S.—until you factor in the cost of living
The Census Bureau's supplemental poverty report, which considers additional factors in like the cost of living, places Hawaiʻi at the 13th highest poverty rate in the nation.
High costs make Hawaiʻi’s poverty rate higher than U.S. average
New census data shows that the poverty rate is down from last year but that Hawaiʻi residents still struggle with the high costs of housing and other necessities.