Nationwide, state leaders set aside $2.6 billion to prop up struggling renters, but a year later more than 16 percent hasn’t made it to tenants or landlords.

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.

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

After just four hours, the city's new rent relief program was suspended because so many people applied. The $114 million in federal money is for back and future rent and utilities.

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

In recent years there’s been increasing support from the state’s leading lawmakers and Democratic Party to pay workers a living wage, but the gap between that figure and what lawmakers have been willing to pass remains wide.

Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living, makes a minimum wage increase vital for low-income workers, including many who have been on the pandemic’s front lines.

A bill to raise Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage to $12 passed unanimously out of its first committee Monday, with more than 180 individuals and groups testifying in favor, most saying it should be much higher.

Governor Ige’s plan to furlough state workers could further increase the already-maddening length of time it takes to process critical services like unemployment.

Some island landlords have rejected about $8 million in direct payments to cover the rents they’re owed because they do not have general excise tax licenses and are not paying taxes on their rental income.

But advocates say housing is a real concern in a state where there’s an affordable housing crisis.

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

The threat of eviction continues to loom over thousands of island residents as the state moratorium runs out at the end of the month.

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

The rent money would be direct deposited into your landlord's account; make sure to sign up for the program if and when the state makes it available.

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.

This may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pivot toward the kind of food system we want for Hawaiʻi’s future.

Lawmakers say they will use $635 million in CARES Act funds to assist the unemployed and local businesses, but advocates say it’s still not enough.

The situation for renters is likely to get worse in the coming months, especially after the $600 boost to federal unemployment benefits expires July 31.