$12 minimum wage hike clears key Senate committees
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.
Minimum wage hike up to timing
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.
DOE improves free school breakfast program during pandemic
Hawaiʻi Appleseed has monitored the ranking for years, and has been working with the DOE to improve those numbers.
With no signs of housing prices cooling off, advocates push for government aid
Housing advocates want to change how we view housing. Instead of an investment, it should be seen as a necessity.
Sugary drink taxes can dismantle systemic inequities by giving back to communities
When funds are reinvested back into the most impacted communities, these taxes help prevent future harm, and give people from those communities a better shot at succeeding and thriving.
Hawaiʻi legislators could boost minimum wage to $12 next year
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.
Gaps in Hawaiʻi eviction moratorium leave some renters scrambling for housing
The state eviction moratorium doesn’t protect every renter. And being kicked out when you’re unemployed makes finding housing much harder.
Don’t give me back rent, I want to continue hiding from tax
Some landlords are refusing federal relief money, which makes one wonder about what is going to happen to the tenant once the state’s moratorium on evictions expires at the end of the year.
Furloughs likely to worsen delays of unemployment, Medicaid and SNAP claims
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.
Hawaiʻi landlords rejecting $8M in overdue rent
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.
Hawaiʻi seeks to be seen as a remote workplace with a view
But advocates say housing is a real concern in a state where there’s an affordable housing crisis.
As economic pain of pandemic widens, need for food stamps soars
The number of Hawaiʻi residents receiving SNAP benefits has risen from about 155,000 last year to 179,000—a 15.4 percent increase.
No rest for the homeless: Bill would ban sitting almost anywhere on Oʻahu
City and state officials say housing is the answer to homelessness. But criminalization can be more politically expedient.
Schatz: don’t fixate on airports when main spread in communities
With the Republican-controlled Senate fixated on confirming President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, additional pandemic aid is doubtful anytime soon.
One year later: The effects of Hawaiʻi’s illegal short-term rental ban
Illegal vacation rentals have worsened Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing shortage while contributing to an overrun of high-impact, low-spending visitors.
Sowing seeds of service
“Our work is to bring all these different sectors together and create lasting solutions and changes.”
Program allows donations for grab-and-go meals
All through September, customers visiting Safeway stores in Hawaiʻi can donate to the annual Nourishing Neighbors fundraiser to support anti-hunger initiatives.
The Conversation: Keeping an eye on housing evictions
The threat of eviction continues to loom over thousands of island residents as the state moratorium runs out at the end of the month.
Tenants at Lahaina Front Street Apartments celebrate federal court win to keep rent affordable until 2051
Tenants of the Lahaina Front Street Apartments low-income housing project welcomed a federal court decision this week that ensures that the project will stay affordable until 2051.
Not politics as usual
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.